KENYA – Glovo, an on-demand Spanish delivery platform, has appointed Caroline Mutuku as general manager of its operating unit in Kenya, to steer the company to future growth plans.

Ms. Mutuku succeeds Pricilla Muhiu, who joined Glovo in 2019 to lead the company’s marketing efforts in Africa before being named general manager of the company in Kenya in 2020.

She brings a wealth of knowledge in strategy, execution, and digital to the company, allowing it to maintain its position as Kenya’s fastest-growing multi-category platform.

“I am delighted to be taking on this role as the General Manager for Glovo Kenya and continue the good work that my peers have done.

“I am excited to incorporate innovative and fresh ideas to take Glovo to the next level in the market. I am quite optimistic about the very vibrant e-commerce sector in Kenya in the coming years,” said Ms. Mutuku.

Ms. Mutuku was previously the General Manager of a tech start-up focused on revolutionizing mass transportation in Kenya.

She also has six years of management consulting experience with McKinsey & Co., where she was tasked with developing strategies, facilitating execution, and building digital capabilities for African banks and financial regulators.

She is an expert at problem-solving with technology, which has resulted in significant growth and long-term impact for the stakeholders involved.

In Kenya, she has also worked in the banking sector for companies such as Standard Chartered and Equity Bank.

Her appointment comes at a time when Glovo seeks to capitalize on new business strategies in a competitive market marked by other online delivery companies such as Jumia, diversifying their operations and reorganizing their strategies.

The African eCommerce giant, Jumia Technologies has recently announced the closure of its Dubai office in remodeling efforts following years of loss-making and a constantly evolving eCommerce marketplace.

The company is moving its top managers from Dubai to the African countries they oversee, with most going to Morocco, Kenya, and Ivory Coast. The 60-person Dubai office will henceforth be disbanded.

“As we are an Africa-focused company, we want our leaders to be based with customers, vendors, and employees,” said Jumia’s acting head Francis Dufay.

For nearly a decade that Jumia has existed, it has constantly made losses and been forced to restructure its business at different times.

The company remains one of Africa’s most popular eCommerce platforms with huge potential to make its business sustainable and long-term.

While announcing results in June, the company said that achieving profit would take a combination of measures including promotional discounts, ramping up marketing and cutting costs at warehouses by reducing consumption of packaging.

Competition in the market has heightened as former Jumia executives recently launched a grocery delivery company modeled in the likeness of Jumia.

Former Jumia CEO Sam Chappatte and former chief operations officer Cyrus Onyiego have now taken similar up similar roles in their new entity dubbed Kapu.

The new e-commerce platform is designed to enable Kenyans buy groceries at lower prices, through online and offline channels.

It aims to lessen the burden of buying food for Kenyan consumers, many of whom are grappling with the skyrocketing food prices by availing a wide range of products at wholesale prices and offering free next-day delivery.

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