With at least half of Bolt’s turnover coming from the African continent, Bolt is investing in its on-the-ground leadership team as it leverages the €300 million in funding it welcomed during 2020, and the €20 million already raised in 2021. The platform has appointed four heavy-hitters in the global technology arena to add momentum to its growth and expansion strategies.
Patrick Partridge joined as the Regional Manager for Africa, Ronke Adepoju as Country Manager for Bolt Food in Nigeria, Edgar Kipngetich as Country Manager for Bolt Food in Kenya, and James Townsend-Rose has joined as Country Manager for Bolt Food in South Africa.
Partridge joined Bolt in August 2020, bringing his experience as the Regional Manager for Africa at BIMA, a mobile-delivered health and insurance player in emerging markets. He was responsible for regional commercial strategy, P&L and performance against budget, driving growth through new market launches and new distribution channels, negotiating key partnerships, driving product innovation, and engaging with governments and regulators.
He will lead Bolt’s growth into more African markets, using the platform to foster entrepreneurship and the means to a consistent income for drivers, while offering safe, affordable transport – whether by conventional sedan or other vehicles – to passengers across the continent.
Adepoju joins Bolt from Deloitte, and has led teams in developing strategies and initiatives that have a significant impact on the growth of an organization. She is an expert in leveraging technology and innovation to solve problems and providing advisory services to scale businesses. She has worked on various projects including strategy development and execution, process optimization, digital transformation, due diligence, business automation and customer experience.
She’s passionate about financial inclusion, women empowerment, education, economic development initiatives and programs that create job opportunities and promote SME businesses particularly those that leverage technology and digital platforms.
Kipngetich joins Bolt Food in Kenya from AiCare, an insurance and telematics business that he co-founded. He has worked in a number of online and digital innovation businesses, including SUPPER in London, after starting his career at PWC in Manchester.
He is a diverse and experienced executive with an innovative approach to problem solving and building partnerships, which, along with his degree in planning from the University of Manchester and a Masters’ in Infrastructure Investment and Finance from UCL in the UK, will position him well to lead Bolt Food’s growth in Kenya.
Townsend-Rose joins Bolt Food in South Africa from JUMO.WORLD, where he was Director for Africa Strategic Partnerships and Operations, responsible for mobile network operator and bank partnerships on the continent and business development and partnership delivery in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Cote D’Ivoire. Before that, he founded BabyGroup, a parenting e-commerce and subscription business in South Africa.
His responsibility entails growing the Bolt Food business in South Africa, managing relationships between couriers, food suppliers, and end customers. The platform is entering an already established sector, and he will be establishing the core business, with a view to expanding it into other arenas in time to come.
“Patrick, Ronke, Edgar and James all bring a wealth of experience in technology, innovation, strategy, and digital transformation with them,” says Markus Villig, Founder and CEO of Bolt. “These four appointments will significantly boost Bolt’s strategic and operational capacity, as we are looking to create opportunities for entrepreneurship and access to affordable transportation in different African markets,” Villig added.