E-commerce giant Jumia appoints new CEO in Kenya

African E-commerce giant, Jumia announced on Wednesday the appointment of Charles Ballard as the new CEO of Jumia Kenya.

Charles succeeds Juan Seco, who left the e-commerce company after eight years to join Mukuru, a pan-African financial business located in South Africa.

“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 prices, more choices, and convenience to the rural Kenyans”, said Charles Ballard.

Charles Ballard joined Jumia Kenya in 2019 as Head of Performance and Planning, and in 2021 he was promoted to Chief Operating Officer, supervising the growth and deployment of Jumia activities in Kenya. He was promoted to Senior Vice President – Commercials in 2022.

Charles formerly worked as a Retail consultant at Sagaci Research in Kenya from 2015 to 2019, and before as the Deputy CFO at ACTED (an international humanitarian NGO) from 2012 to 2015.