Former M-Pesa Boss Named Jumia Kenya CEO

Jumia Kenya on Tuesday, November 23 confirmed the appointment of Betty Mwangi as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), taking over from Sam Chappatte. Chappatte had been CEO since 2014.

Chappatte, who stated that he was moving on to entrepreneurial ventures, highlighted progress Jumia had driven in the e-commerce space in Africa as he welcomed Mwangi, a seasoned financial services executive.

“It’s still early days for ecommerce & the digital economy on the Continent. I’m happy that we have played a part edging it forward, and closer to unlocking millions of jobs,” Mr Chappatte stated. “I am excited to see how far Betty Mwangi can take us! And delighted to leave the team in her capable hands. Karibu Betty.”

As Financial Services Director at Safaricom between 2007 and 2016, Ms Mwangi notably ran M-Pesa from its inception as the mobile money service grew to become the telco’s biggest earner and a global phenomenon studied in business schools. She led the establishment of the M-Pesa agent network in Kenya and partnerships with financial institutions including NCBA to offer credit through M-Shwari, among other achievements during the 9-year stint.

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She left Safaricom in 2016 for financial services giant Britam where she served as Group Commercial Director until March 2021. At Britam which operates in seven African countries, she was as member of the Group’s Executive council reporting to the Principle Executive Director and Group Managing Director.

She was responsible for driving the firm’s innovation agenda including branch optimization and developing digital and direct distribution channel strategies. After leaving Britam, she focused on her consultancy firm, Digital Den, where she is the Founder and CEO. The firm offers consultancy services on mobile money, payments, digital and innovation thought leadership.

Kenya’s ecommerce revenue is projected to hit $1.5 billion in 2021 and the industry continues to expand. At the helm of Jumia Kenya, she’ll be responsible for steering ecommerce innovation in one of Jumia’s most important markets.

Jumia became the first pan-African platform to list on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in 2019.

Mwangi holds a Bachelors degree in Electrical, Electronic and Communications Engineering Technology from the University of Manchester. She also has a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Leicester.

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