Advisory · Africa & Europe
Working alongside founders, CEOs and investors in Africa.
Bridging Africa and Europe, with experience from pre-seed to IPO. Former CEO of Jumia South Africa, and fifteen years building and running commercial businesses, from a Paris SaaS start-up to a NYSE-listed pan-African group.
I work with a small number of companies and funds at a time, as a sparring partner through growth and transition.
Track record
I have sat in the CEO's chair, with the P&L, the board and the hard calls.
GMV run with full P&L as CEO South Africa, across Zando and 8 branded platforms including Levi's, Vans and Superdry. 100+ people, 8 direct reports.
Jumia · 2023–2025Led the end-to-end strategic exit of the South African operations, reducing the cost base while preserving enterprise value and full operational continuity.
Jumia · 2024–2025Marketplace share of Zando's total GMV. Built the seller model from scratch, 100K+ SKUs, and a China to South Africa cross-border sourcing channel.
Jumia · 2018–2022Group-wide commercial efficiency programme aligning sales, finance, tech, ops and logistics. Procure-to-pay redesign improved efficiency by around 15%.
Jumia Group · 2022–2023Clients at Lucky Cart, a Paris martech SaaS, from first sale to Series A readiness. Clients included Carrefour, Unilever and Sephora. Later a board member and shareholder.
Lucky Cart · 2012–2017Where I help
Three transitions I know from the inside.
Entering a new market
The first twelve months in a new country decide most of what follows.
- Market selection and entry sequencing
- Go-to-market and ICP definition
- Local team, partners and operating model
Scaling commercial operations
Growth that holds up once the founder is no longer in every deal.
- Marketplace and SaaS model optimisation
- Pricing and unit economics
- Organisational design and processes
Preparing to raise
Walking into investor meetings with a business that stands up to diligence.
- Strategic narrative and positioning
- Metrics, model and data room readiness
- Founder and investor alignment
How we work
Engagements are scoped to the problem, not to a package.
Most CEOs start with a focused diagnostic, then decide together whether to continue.
Diagnostic
A focused look at one critical question: a market entry, a commercial plateau, a raise. Ends with a clear written view and a 90-day plan.
CEO advisory
Regular strategic sessions, review of key material, and asynchronous support between sessions. A sparring partner who has held the same role.
Fractional executive
Hands-on leadership on go-to-market, revenue, multi-market expansion or organisational design, including interim executive roles.
Who I work with
Founders, CEOs and investors building across Africa.
For investors, I support deal sourcing and work alongside portfolio companies at key moments.
Stage
Seed to Series B
Geography
Africa-based, or expanding into Africa from Europe
Moment
Scaling, restructuring or entering new markets
Sectors
Retail, FMCG, fashion, beauty, food & beverage, tech
Operating career
Built from the ground floor up.
CEO advisor to African companies, and Endeavor business mentor to high-growth founders
Jumia Group (NYSE: JMIA) · CEO South Africa, Group Head of Commercial Efficiency, Head of Marketplace South Africa
Lucky Cart, Paris martech SaaS · Business Developer to Sales Director France & Belgium, board member and shareholder
Co-founder, EdTech SaaS platform, Paris
LVMH, Guerlain · Skincare project management
EM Lyon Specialised Master in Entrepreneurship · ESSEC BBA International Business
Contact
If you are going through one of these transitions, I am glad to compare notes.
mo.imbert@gmail.com
Or find me on LinkedIn.