By The board of Prosus and Naspers announced on Friday, 17 May 2024, that through unanimous approval, the Brazilian entrepreneur Fabricio Bloisi has been appointed Group CEO of Prosus and Naspers.
Bloisi has an impressive track record of success. After acquiring iFood in 2013 with just 20 employees, the MBA holder grew the start-up business to compete in the mainstream and become a significant contributor towards the country’s GDP.
iFood is currently the leading food delivery company in Latin America and boasts over 5 000 employees, 350,000 partner restaurants, works with over 300,000 delivery partner couriers, and serves over 96 million orders per month. According to the statement by Prosus and Naspers, iFood directly and indirectly moved U$20 billion in gross production value, impacting 0.53% of Brazil’s GDP in 2022.
Fabricio has been described as a proven entrepreneur and innovator with deep roots in operating, building and scaling world-class technology companies within growth markets.
“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. Also; a famous brand in Latin America. 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 vigor to bear. As our new President and CIO, he will play a fundamental role in shaping the Group’s future strategy, investments, and capital allocation,” said Koos Bekker, Prosus and Naspers Chair in a statement.
“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,” said the newly appointed CEO Fabricio Bloisi.
Bloisi will take over the reigns as CEO from Ervin Tu who was interim CEO for eight months on 1 July 2024, and 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. Tu will assume the position of President and Chief Investment Officer (CIO).
“Fabricio has an incredible operating track record, founders’ 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,” said Ervin Tu in the statement.
