Wolt makes three new retail leadership appointments as it ramps up non-restaurant expansion

Local commerce platform Wolt has announced the appointment of three new leaders within its retail operations, as it looks to further expand its non-restaurant business.

The Helsinki-headquartered technology company has brought in Christian Urban as Global Head of Grocery to lead strategy and operations for its partnership business. Urban was formerly Director of Marketplace for the Asia-Pacific region at foodpanda.

Nils Salzmann takes on the role of Global Head of Commercial. He spent seven years at Amazon and Amazon Fresh in a range of commercial leadership roles, and also led the Berlin launch of Knuspr.de in 2024.

Arusha Imtiaz, meanwhile, is the new Global Head of Strategy & Business Operations. She previously led Alibaba’s business in Pakistan, and also helped establish its marketplace business across five Asian markets.

Panos Karouzos, Wolt’s VP of New Verticals, who leads the company’s retail business, comments: "Consumer behaviour is changing, with people choosing to buy more online - everything from restaurant meals to weekly groceries, to electronics, pet food and health and beauty products.”

“By connecting customers to the best stores and restaurants in their neighbourhoods with quick, convenient delivery, we are making life simpler for them, while also driving sales and growth for local businesses."

“We’ve made great strides on our retail business journey in recent years, but we remain ambitious. We are building the future of shopping - in your pocket - and ultimately want to become an everyday shopping destination everywhere we operate, providing the highest quality experience for both our partners and customers.”

Wolt, which began expanding into retail in 2020, now works with thousands of non-restaurant partners, ranging from the company’s own Wolt Market grocery stores to local bricks and mortars and household names, such as Carrefour, Kesko and Meny.

Last year, it became one of the top 15 online grocers in Europe and reached its 100th million retail order. Today, retail accounts for more than 20% of its global sales. 

2024 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Local commerce was a key focus area at the sixth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering.