Kitopi announces appointment of Managing Director for its KSA market
Sabine El Najjar appointed Managing Director, KSA from October 2021
Kitopi launched in KSA in September 2019 and currently operates over 20 kitchens across Riyadh and Jeddah
Under Sabine’s leadership, the next phase of growth in Kitopi KSA will focus on expansion beyond existing cities and bringing the best brands to the market
Riyadh, KSA, October 12, 2021 – Kitopi, the world’s leading managed cloud kitchen platform, announced today the appointment of Sabine El Najjar as Managing Director for its KSA market, with effect from October 2021.
Sabine’s appointment follows Kitopi’s recent closure of its Series C funding round, which catapulted it to Unicorn status in July 2021.
In her new role as Managing Director of KSA, Sabine will drive the next phase of Kitopi’s growth in the country. In particular, Sabine will be focusing on building the capabilities of Kitopi KSA across all aspects of the business such as driving Kitopi’s expansion to reach all corners of the country, bring the best brands to KSA and developing the next generation of leaders locally.
An MBA graduate from the London Business School, Sabine has an extensive track record across both industry and consulting. Prior to joining Kitopi in January 2021, Sabine was a Senior Engagement Manager at management consulting firm Mckinsey & Co., where she has worked on large scale business and digital transformations for large private corporations, banks, and government entities in the GCC.
Following this, Sabine joined Kitopi’s Dubai office as Director of Strategy, where she built and led the company’s Global Strategy function, overseeing Kitopi’s key strategic initiatives, including the management of Kitopi’s key partnerships and integration of new businesses. In her role, Sabine has successfully expanded Kitopi’s capabilities in the areas of Mergers and Acquisitions, playing an instrumental role in Kitopi’s successful Series C funding round and subsequent achievement of the Unicorn status.
Founded in Dubai, UAE, in January 2018, Kitopi’s mission is to satisfy the world’s appetite. With over 3000 employees and 60+ cloud kitchens across the UAE, KSA, Kuwait and more recently, Bahrain, Kitopi operates a portfolio of its own brands and partners with restaurants and F&B brands to help them scale and expand their reach in as little as 14 days. Kitopi KSA launched in September 2019, and became the company’s regional headquarters in July 2021. Kitopi KSA currently operates over 20 kitchens and has over 400 employees across Riyadh and Jeddah.
Mohamad Ballout, CEO and co-founder of Kitopi, commented: ‘Sabine is an exceptional talent and has contributed immensely to Kitopi’s direction and growth. She is an excellent strategic leader who is laser focused on translating visions and initiatives into long term organizational outcomes, while remaining committed to developing the next generation of leaders along the way. I am very excited for Sabine to lead the KSA market, and have full confidence that she will take Kitopi KSA to a whole new level and bring tremendous value to the people of KSA.”