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Former Jumia Kenya CEO takes up the reins at B2B platform Twiga Foods
By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2024
Charles Ballard has extensive experience in the Kenyan market, and expertise in e-commerce, retail, and financial services.
Twiga Foods, the Kenyan business-to-business marketplace platform that sources produce directly from farmers and delivers it to urban retailers, has appointed Charles Ballard as its new Chief Executive Officer.
He has extensive experience of the Kenyan market, having been in the country for nine years, and has expertise in e-commerce, retail, and financial services.
Ballard was previously CEO of Jumia Kenya, an e-commerce company, where he led the transformation of the business toward profitability.
Charles Ballard. Photo: LinkedIn
He joined Jumia in 2019 and also served as Head of Performance and Planning, Chief Operating Officer, and as Senior Vice President – Commercials for the company.
Appointment will bolster Twiga Foods’ ambition
“The appointment of a new CEO will bolster Twiga Foods’ ambition to continue to deliver on its mission to transform food supply chains in Africa,” Twiga says in a statement.
Hein Pretorius, Chairman of Twiga’s board of directors, comments: “We are delighted to welcome Charles as our new Chief Executive. His deep understanding of the Kenyan e-commerce and retail landscape, his proven operational grip, his entrepreneurial drive, and his passion for the Twiga Foods opportunity make him the ideal leader to steer Twiga into its next phase of growth and success.”
Ballard has also been an executive with the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (commonly known as ACTED), a French humanitarian non-governmental organisation.
He holds a master’s degree from the ESSEC Business School (France) and a BSc in International Development from the London School of Economics.
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