Jumia appoints Sunil Natraj as new chief executive officer

Jumia Nigeria, an e-commerce company, on Tuesday, announced the appointment of Mr Sunil Natraj as Chief Executive Officer effective from Jan. 1, 2024.

Mr Francis Dufay, the Chief Executive Officer Jumia Group made the announcement during a media briefing in Lagos.

Dufay said that Natraj would be taking over the leadership mantle from former Jumia Nigeria, Chief Executive Officer, Mr Massimiliano Spalazzi, who will be leaving the company on Dec. 31.

According to him, Natraj will continue focusing on transforming Jumia to better suit the needs of its customers.

Dufay said Natraj would also work closely with partners and vendors to make Jumia their most preferred sales channel.

Dufay said Natraj joined Jumia in 2022 with extensive experience in Sub-saharan Africa.

“In Jumia, he handled the Jumia Express logistics business as Vice President of Sales and Marketing based in Lagos, Nigeria, before becoming the Chief Executive Officer of Jumia Ghana.

“He has worked towards cost definitions, reduction, price definition, standardisation, 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 said.

According to Dufay, Natraj has been based in Africa for over 11 years, where he worked for large multinationals such as GB Foods.

He added that Natraj held a B.Sc in Engineering and MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.

For Spalazzi, Dufay said: “We extend our sincere thanks as you depart from our team following 11 years since the very start of Jumia.

“Spalazzi 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 role as Chief Executive Officer in Nigeria.”

Also, the new Chief Executive Officer, Natraj said: “I am thrilled I will be leading Jumia in Nigeria, one of our largest markets and also helping to transform Africa’s economy through e-commerce.

“It is an honour to contribute to Jumia’s success in the country by 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.”