Ivorian E-commerce Startup ANKA Appoints Meta Director & Global Head of Luxury, Morin Oluwole as Strategic Advisor
Ivorian e-commerce startup ANKA has announced the appointment of Morin Oluwole as its first Strategic Advisor. Morin is currently the Global Luxury Director at Meta, where she leads a global business team and is also an avid leader within the Women@ Meta and Black@ Meta employee resource groups.
Morin will lend her expertise to ANKA by supporting the strategic development of the wider team, product development, and ecosystem.
Having spent her career in leadership positions in global marketing, partnerships, and innovation, Morin has steered businesses at the forefront of technological and creative transformation. A natural choice to guide the navigation of ANKA’s Pan-African and global expansion strategy, her expert knowledge on management, business development and team building will grow the company’s operations across emerging markets.
Morin Oluwole said “Growth and innovation are testament to ANKA's success. The company and its incredibly talented team are taking immense strides in building out what has undoubtedly become a leading e-commerce platform, and I am honoured to advise on this journey. I look forward to sharing my knowledge of the global business and commerce sectors, whilst working alongside Moulaye and the ANKA team to further develop the world of e-commerce that ANKA is revolutionising.”
Founded in 2016 originally as Afrikrea, an online marketplace for selling and buying African-inspired clothing, accessories, arts and crafts, ANKA (meaning “Ours” in Bambara and Djoula) aims to position the brand as the cognitive referent for African commerce. The platform launched the first of its kind all-in-one SaaS solution to provide a seamless e-commerce service for African micro-retailers in 2021, exporting literally “all things made of Africa '' to a global audience. ANKA has seen its retailer base grow by 300% to date, with the platforms currently recording over 1,2M visits a month and the majority of customers located in Europe and North America.
Speaking on the new advisor appointment, Moulaye Tabouré, CEO and Co-Founder of ANKA said, “With almost two decades worth of experience at Meta and in the technology sphere, Morin will provide an unparalleled perspective making her a key asset to ANKA. As we seek to strengthen and increase our reach across African and international markets, these skills will prove invaluable, allowing us to open up new opportunities for our customers and stakeholders. I’m thrilled to welcome Morin as a Strategic Advisor”.
