In Conversation with Kat Akbari, VP, North America eCommerce

In this interview, Kat Akbari, VP, North America eCommerce, shares what makes selling at Pinterest different. Kat discusses the mission and culture of her team, full-funnel value of the platform, and qualities of a strong Pinterest seller. Interested in joining us? Get an inside glimpse into life on the eCommerce team. 

How would you describe the mission of your team, and what personally drew you to Pinterest and this eCommerce opportunity?

Our team’s mission is something we actually built together, and I love that about it. We turn inspiration into action: making every scroll shoppable, every idea actionable, and every brand unforgettable. We want to be our partners' most creative, collaborative, and commerce‑savvy team, sparking joy, driving innovation, and making shopping on Pinterest as delightful as finding inspiration itself. That last line is the one that hooked me, because most sales teams don’t talk about sparking joy. That’s exactly what makes this one different.

What drew me personally is two-fold. I’ve been a long‑time Pinterest user. People come to our platform to dream, to plan, to figure out who they want to be. That intent is unlike anything else on the internet, and it’s an incredible foundation for eCommerce.

And then I see my two daughters on Pinterest, and it becomes even more real. They’re not doom‑scrolling or comparing themselves to impossible standards. They’re building boards: room inspo, outfit inspo, future versions of themselves they’re genuinely excited about. What moves me is that Pinterest lets them see themselves through features like skin tone ranges, body type ranges, and hair pattern search, so the future they’re saving actually reflects who they are.

How do you explain Pinterest’s full-funnel value and which features help sellers make that story real in a sales cycle?

I describe Pinterest’s full-funnel value the same way millions of people use the platform each month: Pin, Plan, Purchase.

• Pin is where discovery starts. People arrive in a planning mindset, open to possibilities. Visual search, Collages, and Pinterest Assistant help turn vague ideas into concrete directions.
• Plan is where consideration takes shape. This is where Pinterest is uniquely strong. Boards, saves, and Collages turn casual interest into real shortlists and future purchases in the making.
• Purchase is where decisions turn into action. Once people know what they want, they’re ready to act on the ideas they’ve been collecting. Product Pins and Collections make that jump from “saved” to “bought” feel seamless, with pricing, availability, and “where to buy” built in.

In a sales cycle, that’s how the story comes to life: we map a customer’s real Pin–Plan–Purchase journey in their category, then connect each stage to specific Pinterest products and tools that make the full funnel both actionable and measurable.

From a go-to-market perspective, what makes selling at Pinterest unique compared to other platforms? 

At Pinterest, we’re effectively selling intent before it becomes a search. We’re present earlier, when someone is still discovering what they want, and that’s an incredibly powerful position for an eCommerce advertiser.

In practice, that makes our GTM motion deeply consultative. We lead with business outcomes and measurement. Our advantage is connecting brands with high‑intent audiences in real planning moments and delivering value that goes beyond last‑click attribution.

Pinterest is also built around identity and possibility: when a platform helps people figure out who they are, instead of telling them who to be, ads can feel like ideas they’re trying on, not interruptions they’re trying to skip.

What are the attributes of a successful member of the sales team at Pinterest? 

The most successful people on this team operate at the intersection of strategy, commerce, and collaboration. If I had to break it into four things:

1. Commercially sharp – They understand eCommerce fundamentals and what actually drives advertiser outcomes. Surface‑level platform knowledge doesn’t get you far here; we’re investing in performance expertise, eCommerce fluency, and product depth because that’s the baseline for the clients we serve.
2. Measurement‑minded – This team wins by proving Pinterest’s value in a world that defaults to simplified attribution. The best sellers know how to move clients toward more holistic measurement and help them see Pinterest’s impact beyond last‑click. That takes intellectual honesty, being clear about what the data shows, what it doesn’t, and having a real point of view.
3. Test‑and‑learn mindset – Our culture is about learning velocity; the people who thrive here treat ambiguity as an invitation to build something better, not a reason to wait for perfect conditions.
4. Collaborative builders – The strongest performers know how to work cross‑functionally, bring partners along, and make the whole team better. That’s how we win as a team.

What do you want candidates to know about the culture of the NA eCommerce team?

This is a high‑ambition, client-focused team with a real sense of shared purpose, and those two things reinforce each other here. We win by pairing differentiated storytelling with performance credibility. We lead with what makes Pinterest unique and are curious learners who put advertiser outcomes first. We roll up our sleeves, solve problems together, and treat every win as a team win.

And underneath all of that is Pinterest’s broader mission. When we say we’re helping people create a life they love, that’s built into the product. For this team, that means performance and positivity aren’t in conflict; they’re the same goal.

Finish this sentence: As a member of the eCommerce team, you’ll have the opportunity to…

Shape how the world shops on Pinterest by turning inspiration into action for millions of people and helping some of the most ambitious brands grow in ways that are both measurably performant and genuinely positive for consumers.

Discover career opportunities on the Sales team and apply here.