Jumia has announced Charles Ballard as the new CEO of Jumia Kenya, effective from March. Charles takes over the mantle from Juan Seco who left after eight years to join a pan-African player in the FinTech space. He has been with Jumia Kenya since 2019 when he joined as Head of Performance and Planning. In 2021 he became the Chief Operating Officer overseeing the expansion and deployment of Jumia activities in Kenya, before being named  Senior Vice President, Commercials in 2022. Before joining Jumia, Charles worked as a Retail consultant at Sagaci Research in Kenya from 2015 to 2019, and before as Deputy CFO at ACTED (international humanitarian NGO) from 2012 to 2015. Charles has lived in Kenya for almost a decade and is married with two children.

“I am excited to continue driving the e-commerce narrative in rural Kenya where more than 70% of the population lives. Access to Modern Retail is a challenge in these areas, which is a great opportunity to grow our online marketplace. E-commerce can bring better process, more choices, and convenience to the rural Kenyans,” said Ballard.