Wolt announces three new retail leadership appointments as it accelerates non-restaurant expansion

> Wolt appoints global heads of grocery, commercial, and strategy & business operations

> “We are building the future of shopping - in your pocket - and ultimately want to become an everyday shopping destination everywhere we operate,” says Panos Karouzos, VP of New Verticals at Wolt.

JANUARY 23, HELSINKI | Local commerce platform Wolt has announced the appointment of three new leaders within its retail operations, as it drives forward plans 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 the company’s partnership business. Urban was formerly director of marketplace for the Asia-Pacific region at foodpanda.

• Nils Salzmann as 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 as 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, welcomed the appointments, highlighting the growing importance of grocery and other retail offerings to customers.

He said: "Consumer behavior 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 neighborhoods 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 brick-and-mortars and household names, such as Carrefour, Kesko and Meny.

Last year, the company 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 Wolt’s global sales.