From Viral Shopping to the CEO’s Office: Sandie Hawkins Takes the Helm at TalkShopLive

A new leader, and a clear signal

TalkShopLive has tapped Sandie Hawkins, who led ecommerce at TikTok, as its new chief executive officer. The move, announced in the company’s press release today, replaces the startup’s founder-led operating structure and signals a push from a small, niche livestreaming platform toward broader growth.

The appointment matters because Hawkins is best known for building shopping features on one of the world’s biggest short-video apps. That background gives her a ready-made playbook for scaling livestream commerce: building partnerships, turning short-form video into instant buying moments, and designing product features that make it easy for creators and merchants to sell. TalkShopLive says Hawkins will lead product development, partnerships and go-to-market efforts as it rolls out a set of new initiatives aimed at growing audiences and revenues.

A practical profile: why Hawkins was chosen

Sandie Hawkins joins TalkShopLive after a stint at TikTok where she ran or helped run the company’s commerce efforts. While at TikTok she worked at the intersection of creators, brands and product teams to turn viral content into real sales. Before TikTok she held roles in ecommerce and business development, working with retailers and tech teams to get shopping flows working smoothly inside apps.

Those two strands — product know-how and partner relationships — are exactly what a live-shopping platform needs at this stage. Live commerce combines performance marketing, real-time video and checkout systems tied to inventory and shipping. Hawkins’ resume suggests she understands all those moving parts and, crucially, how to persuade big brands and smaller sellers to try a new channel. TalkShopLive is betting her network and operational experience will speed up deals and lift the product beyond its early adopters.

What the company plans to build under Hawkins

The press release lays out a short roadmap focused on three areas: product improvements to make streams easier to buy from, partnerships with brands and creators, and clearer go-to-market plays to recruit viewers. Concretely, TalkShopLive said it plans to launch upgraded commerce tools, expand integrations with fulfillment and payment services, and sign new merchant partnerships that bring recognizable brands to its live shows.

On product, the company is prioritizing a smoother checkout inside live streams and better discovery so viewers can find shows that match their interests. That work often means engineering tweaks plus a design push around notifications and recommendations — the sort of changes Hawkins worked on at her previous role. On partnerships, the company wants to move beyond small independent sellers and win mid-sized brands that can advertise their live events and bring their own audiences.

TalkShopLive also signaled a push into creator programs: training hosts, creating revenue splits that are attractive to on-camera talent, and offering tools to help creators manage inventory and shipping. Together, these initatives are meant to turn occasional viewers into habitual shoppers and to make shows viable as a revenue channel for both creators and the platform.

Why the hire matters for the broader livestream commerce scene

Livestream commerce has jumped from a niche to a mainstream idea in recent years, driven by trends in short video and by consumers who like buying in the moment. Big tech platforms and a raft of startups have been experimenting with formats that blend entertainment and shopping. The category is noisy: larger platforms can throw audience at the problem, while smaller players must prove they can convert engagement into reliable sales.

Hiring a leader who cut her teeth at a top consumer platform is a move aimed at credibility. It tells brands and creators that TalkShopLive wants to be taken seriously as a place to sell, not just a novelty. For competitors, the hire may raise the bar: expect more emphasis on integration with payments and shipping partners, and sharper incentives to lure creators who can bring fans with them to a new app.

Company snapshot, notable quotes and what to watch next

TalkShopLive is a privately held livestream commerce platform that hosts shows where hosts sell products directly to viewers in real time. The company did not disclose new funding in the announcement, but it emphasized partnerships and product upgrades as the near-term focus.

The release quoted TalkShopLive’s founder as calling Hawkins “the right leader to scale our business,” and included a note from Hawkins saying she was “excited to build the future of social shopping with creators and merchants.” Those are standard launch lines, but they underline the company’s priority: move quickly to professionalize the product and close larger deals.

Reporters and industry watchers should watch for a few specific beats over the next six to nine months: any announced partnerships with recognizable brands, product updates that make buying inside a live stream noticeably easier, and creator signups that include names with built-in audiences. If TalkShopLive can show measurable lift in conversion or bring on eastablished merchants, Hawkins’ appointment will look like a smart, pragmatic hire. If those signs don’t appear, the move may be more cosmetic than strategic.

Sources

• prnewswire.com