Ecommerce giant, Jumia has announced the addition of National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar, Andre Iguodala, to its board of directors.
The 35-year old shooting guard who has a Nigerian father plays for the reigning NBA champions, Golden State Warriors. As Jumia’s ambassador and board member, Andre would be charged with promoting business development and technology in Africa.
Even though he’s a professional basketball player with several accolades, Andre is no novice to technology and startups as he has invested in over 40 of such companies. This includes high profile tech companies like Twitter, Facebook, Tesla, Casper, Thrive Global and a several others.
Andre has also partnered with Bloomberg to create the annual Players Technology Summit, which “brings together leaders from the technology, venture capital and sports sectors to network, exchange ideas and develop strategies around the latest innovations in business.”
Thus, Andre joining the Jumia’s board would see him bring on his vast network and experience in the technology industry.
“Because of my Nigerian heritage, Jumia’s use of technology to deliver innovative online services to consumers and improve the quality of everyday life in Africa is very important to me. I’m thrilled to be a part of this unique enterprise that is shaping the future of digital Africa”
Andre Iguodala.
On their part, Jumia co-founders, Sacha Poignonnec and Jeremy Hodara said, “Andre is a role model to many of us, and we are very proud to have him join Jumia and help us drive the company forward. We appreciate his commitment and passion for the tech industry and for Africa, and we can’t wait to collaborate and accelerate our impact on the continent.”
“Finally, having Andre join our board sends the world the message that Africa has successful companies and great entrepreneurs, and that athletes can play a key role in contributing to their success.”
This latest board addition may be connected with Jumia’s initial public offering (IPO) in New York this year.
Technext Newsletter
Get the best of Africa’s daily tech to your inbox – first thing every morning.
Join the community now!
