xperienced Chief Executive Officer with a demonstrated history of working in the internet industry.
CEO of the leading e-commerce platform Jumia in Egypt. One of the few pioneers who had the opportunity to witness and build the first wave of organized retail in Egypt, before venturing into the competitive and growing e-retail space.
Holding a master’s degree in Business Information Technology from Middle sex University and a bachelor’s of engineering from Ain Shams University. Started his career in the retail sector over 18 years ago. In 2001, he was part of the team that launched the electronics Pan-Arab retail company CompuMe; he contributed to building the firm’s infrastructure and was in charge of developing both the internal merchandising & operations system and external partners’ relationships.
By the time he left CompuMe in 2012, the company already had the number one market share of organized retail in Egypt after Carrefour, recording 33%. Eager for a new challenge, Safwat moved from offline retailing to the online world; and as chief commercial officer, he led Rocket Internet’s commercial development in its African venture in Egypt: Jumia.com. He headed a team of entrepreneurs from different nationalities and supported the building of the commercial backbone of the company.
Safwat’s great accomplishments paved his way to become Jumia Egypt’s Chief Executive Officer in late 2014, taking the company to the next level in both market share and brand awareness.
Strong business development professional, skilled in negotiation, marketing management, business planning, team management, customer experience, ecommerce, logistics, business operations, corporate affairs, growth strategies, retailing, and sales.