Daraz’s strategic move with appointment of a native MD in Nepal
Daraz’s CEO, Bjarke Mikkelsen, announced Aanchal Kunwar as the Managing Director of Daraz Nepal. Aanchal replaced Lino Ahlering for the position; he had been working as Daraz Nepal’s MD for the past three years.
Aanchal completed her MBA from the University of Minnesota in 2016. She was associated with Carlson Wagonit Travel for over 8 years. She later went on to work for the multinational giant Amazon for over 5 years to optimize its global expansion strategy during her final years in the company.
Aanchal’s designation as Daraz Nepal’s new MD has a remarkable significance in Nepal. In addition to leading countrywide operations, she is also amongst the rank of few Nepali females who have secured lofty designations in well-known companies. This is a major encouragement to Nepali women who are heavily under-represented at high levels in various sectors.
Daraz’s trump card – Localized business strategy
Daraz has opted for a localized business strategy to penetrate the market in South Asia. With the appointment of Aanchal, Daraz now employs local MDs across all of its markets (Pakistan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal). Mikkelsen stretched that Daraz has aspired to optimize customer experience by effectively utilizing artificial intelligence to deduce what locals are looking for. Particularly, Daraz Nepal has attempted local campaigns during the Nepali New Year and festive season of Dashain, which has not happened in other countries.
Mikkelsen stated “As we move forward into our next phase of growth, our focus is to create a greater sense of connectivity with our customers and sellers. I look forward to working with Aanchal, along with our other country MDs, to create more exploratory and personalized experiences for our users as they bring their local perspectives, experiences, and insights to continue to drive our business forward.”
