JSE-listed consumer internet giant Naspers and its Prosus unit have appointed Fabricio Bloisi as group CEO.
A statement issued this morning says the boards of Prosus and Naspers unanimously approved Bloisi’s appointment as group CEO of Prosus and Naspers, effective 1 July.
He will join the Naspers board as an executive director on 1 July and the Prosus board following the AGM in August 2024, subject to shareholder approval.
The new group CEO’s appointment follows the abrupt exit of Bob van Dijk, in September last year. He had served as chief executive of Naspers from 2014 and of Prosus since its listing in 2019.
Ervin Tu, who replaced Van Dijk as group interim CEO, will now assume the new position of president and chief investment officer.
According to the firm, Bloisi assumes the role of group CEO from his role as CEO of iFood – a food delivery company in Latin America.
It notes that he brings to the role his experience as an entrepreneur and innovator, with deep roots in operating, building and scaling technology companies within growth markets.
Prosus and Naspers chairman Koos Bekker says: “Backing exceptional entrepreneurs who improve people’s everyday lives through technology has brought us some success over the years. Fabricio is an entrepreneur with a proven track record. His appointment as CEO places innovation and entrepreneurship at the heart of the group.
“Fabricio has established iFood as one of the most innovative food delivery companies in the world. He has a combination of vision, deep operational experience and strong discipline. It is this skillset which the board believes make him the right person to now lead us.
“Ervin has done an outstanding job as our interim CEO. He navigated a challenging external environment, re-focused our teams, and brought energy and vigour to bear. As our new president and chief investment officer, he will play a fundamental role in shaping the group’s future strategy, investments and capital allocation.”
Bloisi comments: “It is an honour to be given the opportunity to lead Prosus and Naspers during a very exciting period of innovation and change within the technology space.
“I am proud that we have grown iFood into one of the largest and most successful brands in Latin America. This was driven by a passionate team balancing innovation with disciplined investment, while acting fast and empowering our great people. That combination is in my DNA, and I will bring it to my new role as Prosus and Naspers CEO.
“I believe we are in an amazing moment, where technology disruption can change the life of billions of people for the better. A company like Prosus must play an important role in identifying new technologies, such as AI, that impact the world and specifically emerging markets.
“Our focus on innovation and discipline, combined with our outstanding people, knowledge and culture, is a recipe for better experiences for our customers, opportunities for employees and better results for our shareholders long into the future.”
Tu adds: “Fabricio has an incredible operating track record, founder’s passion, is a champion of culture and has the vision to think big and bigger. We’re in the midst of a fascinating time of change in the technology industry. There are many opportunities ahead and I couldn’t be more excited to work alongside Fabricio on this journey.”
The statement notes the group’s strategic goals remain unchanged, and it is on target to deliver on its commitments, including achieving consolidated e-commerce trading profit during the second half of FY24, and the continuation of the open-ended share repurchase programme.
More information will be included in the year-end results to be published on 24 June.
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