Caroline Mutuku is something of a corporate whisperer – a calm yet relentless force with an instinct for what truly matters. From banking halls to the boardroom, she has built a career defined by sharp intuition, grit, and results.
Her story is instructive as it is inspiring: from a part-time bank teller while still at university to leading some of the continent’s biggest organisations. Each step has been a lesson in resilience, each role a platform to stretch the boundaries of possibility.
Today, as General Manager of Glovo Kenya, Mutuku isn’t just overseeing a company that delivers meals and groceries. She’s at the helm of a brand that shapes experiences, fuels opportunities, and redefines consumer culture in Africa.
When Expression Africa sat down with Mutuku, she spoke not just about Glovo’s growth, but about the legacy she wants the company to leave: a platform that empowers people, fuels innovation, and shapes new ways of living
EXPRESSION AFRICA: Tell us more about yourself before you joined Glovo
CAROLINE MUTUKU: My experience is basically in banking. I spent 12 years in banking, then six years as a consultant at McKinsey and Company, where I rose through the ranks and left as a senior engagement manager. I worked across Africa and the Middle East. I handled mergers and acquisitions, recovery services, and digital transformation, among others. Post-COVID, I handled a lot of risk work like credit underwriting.
Prior to McKinsey, I spent four years at StanChart, where I joined as a management trainee immediately after college and left as a special invitee to the real-time management team. Before that, I worked for Equity Bank as a teller as part of the company’s Wings to Programme trainee programme.
Before joining Glovo, I used to work at Swvl, the mass transit solutions company. I was the general manager in charge of the intra-city business. They later decided to close their business in Kenya, but they are still operational in the Middle East.
I have been at Glovo for three years now since 2022, where I serve as the general manager.
Can you tell us about Glovo’s journey to Kenya?
Glovo opened shop in Kenya in 2019, and it has had its ups and downs. Launching in a new country and being hit by COVID was just the welcome Glovo didn’t want. Also, convincing restaurants and riders at first was an uphill task, but luckily for Glovo, the pandemic period was a blessing in disguise. A lot of partners commended us because we ensured they continued being operational despite lockdown challenges. Remember, people were no longer going to restaurants, and 2020 really propelled Glovo and lots of other businesses.
Right now, we operate in 11 towns across the country including Diani, and our newest branch is in Nanyuki. We are not afraid to venture into cities where others feel there are no opportunities. Now Glovo has become a household name, and more people are embracing our services.
To put our growth into perspective, in a town like Naivasha, we have 10 full-time riders, but on the platform, there are around 30.
On weekends, we see a spike in service uptake since families tend to order more takeaways – this is a culture taking root in many urban families.
Which other African countries does Glovo operate in and what is its strategic focus on the continent?
We operate in six markets in Africa, including Kenya, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Tunisia, and Morocco.
Glovo was in Egypt, but it exited due to a strategic decision in 2022 when it was acquired by Delivery Hero, which owns Talabat, Glovo’s sister company. Talabat is currently operational in Egypt.
Regarding strategic focus, Kenya is considered one of Glovo’s important markets. Outside Barcelona, where Glovo originates, Nairobi is the company’s biggest hub. In fact, the real-time operations team serving the 23 markets where we operate is in Nairobi. So we are actively investing and creating jobs. Our English, Arabic, and French-speaking agents sit in Nairobi. We serve clients from those markets here. Glovo has close to 400 direct staff, and we expect the number to increase to 600 in the next two years.
How many service providers do you have on the platform in Kenya?
We have more than 4,500 stores and restaurants on the platform.
We are also trying to give small businesses access to the market. The steps we have taken include joints serving local delicacies such as Swahili (coastal) dishes, fish, and nyama choma (roast meat) to the platform. We also have training for them to ensure they succeed in the online marketplace.
Since we started operating in Kenya, money paid out to restaurants and stores has been more than KES15bn ($116m).
How are you empowering riders?
We really appreciate their collaboration with Glovo. This year, we launched Glovo Plus, where, when a rider reaches a certain number of successfully delivered orders in three months, we help them acquire a motorcycle (i.e. if they were using someone else’s). We entered into an agreement with Watu Credit and Spiro so that the riders can also acquire their electric bikes, with Glovo paying part of the amount and assisting with the costs during battery swaps. We also have some reward insurance schemes that support new families and cover medical emergencies.
We also have a lot of training alongside the government and other institutions like AA on safe riding. We want them to advance economically, gain empowerment, and also to be assured of their safety, and this has resulted in better-behaved riders – who are not careless on the road and treat customers with respect.
What excites you most about the future of Glovo?
Glovo growing to be the biggest marketplace and clients getting convenience within the shortest time. Glovo becoming part of Kenyans’ lives and helping them create memories and continuing to be part of Kenya’s economy support pillar, creating jobs.
What interesting features are you introducing to your platform?
Glovo is also releasing new features where you can add friends and see what they are ordering, helping people discover hidden gems, new restaurants, and good food recommendations. Another feature is the gift feature, where you can gift friends and they will receive it accompanied by a note/card.
What are the challenges you are experiencing operating in Kenya?
Kenya is largely considered to be macroeconomically stable. However, on the regulatory side, it’s too unpredictable. Policymakers and lawmakers need to stop knee-jerk reactions. The most recent example is the government decision to propose a ban on alcohol delivery as it seeks to fight rampant alcoholism without looking at the implications it can have on platforms like Glovo and its impact on the whole business chain.
