Charles Ballard has been confirmed as the new CEO of Jumia Kenya, taking effect from last month, becoming the third chief executive since November 2021. Ballard joined the Kenyan company as the Head of Performance and Planning in 2019, and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2021. He became Senior Vice President - Commercials in 2022. Ballard is committed to driving the narrative of e-commerce in rural Kenya where more than 70% of the population lives. He believes that e-commerce can offer better prices, more choices, and convenience to rural Kenyans.
Sam Chappette was replaced as the CEO of Jumia Kenya by Betty Mwangi in November 2021. However, Mwangi resigned only eight months after her appointment. Juan Seco, the Chief Financial Officer of Jumia, became the CEO in July 2022, but he has now left the company. Seco is currently serving as the Chief Growth Officer and MD East Africa for Mukuru, which offers affordable and reliable financial services to emerging consumers.
Jumia was established in 2012 by Jeremy Hodara, Sacha Poignonnec, Tunde Kehinde, and Raphael Kofi Afaedor, former McKinsey consultants. The e-commerce company began operations in Nigeria before expanding to five other nations, including Egypt, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Kenya, and South Africa. By 2018, Jumia had established offices in 14 African nations, including Tanzania, Tunisia, Ghana, Cameroon, Algeria, and Uganda. Jumia operates a marketplace that connects buyers and sellers, a logistics service that enables the delivery of packages, and a payment service that facilitates transactions between participants in certain markets. The company has partnered with over 100,000 active sellers and individuals and is a direct competitor to Konga in Nigeria and Amazon in Egypt.
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