Medsaf appoints new CTO, others to strengthen management team
Medsaf, Africa’s premier pharmaceutical technology provider of genuine and authentic medications on Wednesday announced the strengthening of its management team with three new appointments.
To this effect, Joao Pinheiro, Obinna Ajeroh and Kenny Oriola have respectively been named as Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Business Development Director (BDD) and Head of Operations (HOD) of Medsaf. All three newly appointed executives will join Medsaf with immediate effect.
Through proprietary technology, data analytics and quality control, Medsaf combats the proliferation of fake medicines by increasing access, affordability and quality of medications dispensed to Africans. In pursuit of this strategy, Medsaf has seen tremendous growth since it launched in 2017, experiencing an average yearly growth rate of 150%, growing over 500% in 2021 alone.
The company has raised US$2.7 million since inception from investors such as Lateral Capital, Samurai Incubate, Seedstars, Musha Ventures, Spark, Yvonne Wassenaar, Proparco, and Stonks. With regional growth plans to expand beyond Nigeria into Kenya and West Africa, Medsaf currently offers a range of products and services designed to improve patient care.
Aligned with its ambitious growth and expansion plan for 2022, Medsaf is strengthening the management team by expanding the company’s executive capabilities.
Speaking to the new appointments, Vivian Nwakah, Co-founder & Chief Executive Officer of Medsaf said: “Medsaf has positioned itself as a solution-provider to one of the most challenging issues in the healthcare space in Africa, gaining access to genuine and authentic medication. We are of a new breed of startups, on the edge of fintech and healthtech.
Building on from the expansion we experienced in 2021, we plan to pursue even greater growth opportunities in 2022. Through increasing access for all Africans to affordable, quality medication, when and where they need them, Medsaf supports a fundamental human right by addressing a significant public health crisis. Mr Pinheiro, Mr. Ajeroh and Mr Oriola are eminently qualified to help Medsaf pursue growth opportunities and we look forward to their leadership and impact.”
Pinheiro has more than 25 years of experience building and managing tech projects, including his former role as Lead Developer for Rocket Internet where he worked on early iterations of Jumia Africa. As a co-founder, he is returning to Medsaf with his experience spanning across many industries including cybersecurity, marketplaces, and warehousing.
Oriola joins Medsaf from Konga, Africa’s second largest e-commerce platform, where he was Vice President of Operations and E-commerce. During his tenure at Konga, Oriola responsibilities included managing over 300 staff nationwide and was integral to the company achieving over 52% growth in 2020 while reducing overall operating expenses.
Prior to Konga, Oriola was the Co-Managing Director at DealDey, an African start-up in the online retail sector that raised over USD five million during its launch phase. After graduating with an MSc in Financial Management from Middlesex University, Oriola started his career in the investment banking and oil and gas sectors in Nigeria.
Ajeroh is an innovative, resolute business director with multiple years of experience working with the public, private and development sectors across multi-functional teams and within global business units holding senior executive roles at the Clinton Health Access Initiative, the Malaria Consortium and Novartis.
Ajeroh, a pharmacist by training, is a skilled specialist at improving team efficiencies, optimizing marketing and sales strategies and managing complex business situations.
Founded in 2017 by Vivian Nwakah, a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Medsaf is Africa’s premier pharmaceutical technology provider that is increasing the quality and access of medication dispensed in Africa through innovative technology and financing facilities.
Through a 7-layer quality control vetting process, Medsaf is the first to provide patients with precise prices on the medications they need immediately through a simple and easy process. With a team across the continent backed by international funders and donors, Medsaf is currently embarking on an ambitious growth trajectory to impact the public health sector in Africa. For more information, visit Medaf’s website (www.medsaf.com).
