Nigeria: Jumia Appoints Sunil Natraj as Chief Executive Officer

Jumia has appointed Sunil Natraj, as Nigeria’s new chief executive officer.

Sunil Natraj is set to assume the role of CEO at Jumia Nigeria, succeeding Massimiliano Spalazzi, who will be departing the company. Natraj’s focus will be on enhancing Jumia’s efficiency and customer satisfaction, collaborating with partners and vendors to establish Jumia as their preferred sales channel.

Upon his appointment, Natraj said: “I am thrilled I will be leading Jumia in Nigeria, one of our largest markets, and to help transform Africa’s economy through e-commerce. It is an honour to contribute to Jumia’s success in the country, prioritising customer satisfaction, secure payments, and strong partnerships.

“Our dedicated team is key to our future success, and I am confident we will achieve even greater milestones, always earning our customers’ trust,” he said.

Jumia stated that “Natraj came to Jumia in 2022 with extensive experience in Sub-saharan Africa. In Jumia, he handled the Jumia Express logistics business as VP of Sales and Marketing based in Lagos, Nigeria before becoming the CEO of Jumia Ghana. He has worked towards cost definitions and reduction, price definition and standardisation, and business development and growth.

“Prior to Jumia, he has managed and built brands in the region and has handled large businesses in the FMCG sector. He has been based in Africa for over 11 years, where he worked for large multinationals such as GBFoods. Sunil holds a B.S in Engineering and an MBA from The Indian Institute of Management Calcutta.”

CEO of Jumia Group, Francis Dufay stated that “we extend our sincere thanks and wish the best to Massimiliano Spalazzi as he departs our teams following 11 years since the very start of Jumia. He has been part of the founding team since Jumia was launched in 2012 and has covered many leadership roles across all our countries and functions until his current one as CEO in Nigeria and EVP for the group.”

Jumia, listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019, is Africa’s premier e-commerce company, operating across 11 countries. The platform encompasses a marketplace connecting sellers with consumers, a logistics service for efficient shipment and delivery, and JumiaPay, a secure online payment solution. With over $1 billion in Gross Merchandise Value in 2022 and a customer base exceeding eight million, Jumia remains a prominent player in the African e-commerce landscape.