Daraz Group’s board of directors has appointed James Dong, CEO of Lazada Group, to succeed Bjarke Mikkelsen as acting CEO of the Company in addition to James’s existing responsibilities.
The appointment will take effect on January 24, 2024.
An official statement thanked the departing chief executive for his role. “Bjarke has been instrumental in the development and growth of Daraz Group for nearly a decade. As the founder, he led the business from its infancy as a single-market online retailer to a comprehensive marketplace serving five South Asian markets, making e-commerce affordable with a cost-efficient logistics infrastructure and payment solutions,” it said.
“The Board would like to express its deepest appreciation to Bjarke for his contributions to Daraz Group and respects his decision to step down for personal reasons. Bjarke will always be a member of the Daraz family,” it added.
Daraz and Lazada are sister companies in South Asia and Southeast Asia, respectively, who have long mutually benefitted from extensive collaborations and synergies. James’ appointment as acting CEO is to support the long-term healthy development of the Company, and it is the Board’s hope for James to lead the two businesses toward greater mutual learning and collaboration, the statement said.
“My North Star has always been to build Daraz into a business that is strong enough to survive in our markets for the long term. This is the reason I’m now handing over the keys to the next generation of leaders in the company and my good friend James Dong, who will take over as acting CEO and work on a deeper integration between Daraz and our sister companies.
With this structure, we will have a more focused strategy and efficient business model – I’m very confident that this is the best structure for Daraz to ensure our long-term success.” said Bjarke Mikkelsen, CEO of Daraz Group. “I will now take some time to focus on my family and support my wonderful wife in her new career.”
Daraz Group was founded in 2015. It has since become the leading e-commerce platform in South Asia, enabling hundreds of thousands of small and medium enterprises through the use of technology to grow their businesses.
