Vincent Hoogduijn, CEO of Media24’s e-commerce division, has been promoted to CEO: Media24 Digital from 1 July.
Hoogduijn said in a statement he is delighted about his new role.
“I see a lot of new digital opportunities for Media24, with digital media becoming one of the most exciting technology spaces to be in. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of this journey,” he stated.
Apart from overseeing all e-commerce activities, he will now also have overall responsibility for Media24’s other digital operations, including 24.com and Careers24.
Media24 CEO Esmaré Weideman said in a statement that Hoogduijn’s extensive experience in e-commerce businesses in Europe and, for the past three years at the helm of Media24’s e-commerce division, has equipped him well to head the company’s accelerated growth in existing and new digital businesses.
“Vincent is a key member of our exco team and we are all rooting for him as he takes on wider responsibilities in the group,” she said.
Media24 announced earlier this week that it will be the 51% owner of a new venture which will arise from a merger between Naspers-owned online fashion retailers Spree and Superbalist, the media company and Takealot announced on Monday.
The merger of the two businesses into one entity seeks to create a "larger, more focused and economically sustainable platform on which to build a substantial online retail, footware and apparel business".
This is only the latest major development for Naspers in the e-commerce space after it has made inroads in building up a cash war chest from partially selling its recent e-commerce investments, including China’s Tencent and India’s Flipkart.
The merger is set to be sealed on July 1. According to the statement, the merged entity will undergo a three-month period of integration planning and implementation. During this period, each business will continue to operate independently before final integration.
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