SAN FRANCISCO -

Shift Technologies co-chief executive officer Toby Russell will step from that position on Feb. 1, but will remain on the board of directors, the automotive ecommerce company said Thursday.

Russell will remain a strategic advisor for Shift. Shift co-CEO George Arison will become sole CEO on Feb. 1.

And in a transition that began Thursday, Shift president Jeff Clementz takes on most of Russell’s day-to-day operating responsibilities.

Clementz joined Shift on Oct. 1.

“It has been an incredible journey to take Shift from an idea to a publicly traded eCommerce leader,” Russell said in a news release.

“After leading six straight years of growth, I couldn’t be more proud of the company we have built and the team we have assembled. This is the right time for me to transition to a Board and advisory role, allowing me to focus on my family, bringing my two daughters — who currently live on opposite coasts — together back in Virginia,” Russell said.

“I am extremely grateful for and confident in the outstanding team and culture we have built at Shift. The company is well positioned to rise to new heights with our extraordinary leadership team.”

Russell and Arison are both co-founder of Shift, which began in 2013. Russell joined full-time two years later.

“It was Toby, back in 2011, who first thought that we should choose used-car sales as a category for building our next company,” Arison said in the release.

“From discovering the idea to helping us launch the company, and throughout his full-time role as Co-CEO, Shift would not exist today without Toby’s profound creativity, insight, and leadership. His value to this business has been immeasurable,” he said.

Arison later added: “Many founders dream of building a publicly traded company, but only a few get there. Shift was able to get there because of Toby. It has been a privilege to run this course with my best friend, and I can’t express how grateful I am for Toby’s leadership and dedication over the last six years.”