Gozem Recruits Othmane Bouhlal Co-founder of French Ride-hailing Company ‘Chauffeur-Privé’

West African startup Gozem, launched in November 2018, started out in the ride-hailing business but has since been adding product lines as it transitions into an ‘African Super App’, has announced the onboarding of Othmane Bouhlal, co-founder of French ride-hailing company Chauffeur-Privé, as a strategic advisor.

Considering that the tech startup is expanding its offering and entering new markets, Gozem is building an advisory board with exceptional entrepreneurial skills in the mobility business. The aim of the advisory board to assist Gozem in its trajectory of growth, operational improvements, and upscaling. 

Welcoming Bouhlal to the team, Gregory Costamagna, Co-founder of Gozem, said the main challenge for the Lomé-based startup is to “multiply by 100 the number of our customers in the next three years while preserving an excellent service.” Gozem, it should be emphasized, recently started offering e-commerce, fintech, and transport on-demand services; it is also preparing to enter eight (8) new markets in West and Central Africa. 

Othmane Bouhlal, co-founder of Chauffeur-Privé comments on being added to the board of advisors for Gozem. 

“I’m pleased and excited to join the Gozem family who has shown incredible traction in their journey to become Africa’s number one Super App. Their goal is ambitious and challenging and I will support them with the best of my abilities along the way.” 

Othmane Bouhlal

As the co-founder of Chauffeur-Privé, Bouhlal founded the ride-hailing company in 2011 and was able to grow the company to become one of the most successful mobility startups in Europe. Rising to success, Chauffeur-Privé was acquired by Daimler, the German automotive giant in 2017.

Chauffeur-Prive was rebranded to Kapten in 2019 and then merged with Free Now in 2020. 

The addition of Othmane Bouhlal to the advisory board will enable a fast-track learning path for Gozem’s management team, and the entire Gozem organization will profit greatly from the experience, best practices, and valuable insight that Bouhlal can provide. 

“It is an honor for us to welcome Othmane’s commitment as an advisor in the company. His knowledge and experience in executing a world-class mobility startup will be priceless for Gozem and will move the company to the next level,” concludes Gregory Costamagna, co-founder of Gozem.