Carsome names new CEO for Indonesia market expansion

Carsome has appointed Andrew Mawikere as CEO for Carsome Indonesia. Bringing more than 14 years of experience, Mawikere is a seasoned business executive with previous careers in Indonesia, the United States and Singapore. 

Armed with financial experience from his tenure in investment banking and multinational finance company JP Morgan and global investment company Temasek, he returned to Indonesia and joined Astra International in the Corporate Strategy and Business Development department. Carsome's co-founder and group CEO, Eric Cheng, said that the appointment of Mawikere was a form of the company's commitment to continue to grow in key markets such as Indonesia. 

"Mawikere  joining will increase the strength of the team in Indonesia. With his combined financial and technological experience, we look forward to the breakthroughs Andrew will bring to enhance business growth and help Carsome's mission of setting new standards for buying and selling cars."

Mawikere is also an experienced entrepreneur where previously he and other founders started their own company, a marketplace for B2B e-procurement called Mbiz. He then went on to lead Bizzy Digital, a business-to-business (B2B) platform for integrated supply chain logistics and distribution that was recently part of the Warung Pintar Group, before joining Carsome.

In this new role, Mawikere will be a major force in ensuring Carsome Indonesia's position as a market and industry leader in the country. Reporting directly to Eric, Mawikere will be responsible for driving strategic initiatives as well as developing Carsome's fast-growing business in Indonesia.

“I feel grateful and happy to be a part of Carsome's journey in digitizing the process of buying and selling cars that are still conventional in Indonesia. As with other early-stage digital transformation processes, strong fulfillment [of supply] and the best user experience at various stages of the consumer journey are the keys to success in redefining this industry,” said  Mawikere.

Under his leadership, Mawikere has a vision to make Carsome Indonesia a user and stakeholder centered organization with an emphasis on developing, investing, and empowering its employees. He is determined to make Carsome a leader in Indonesia by combining effective business and branding strategies supported by the power of technology and data. With favorable demographic conditions, the growth of the middle class, as well as the expansion of internet usage, Indonesia offers great potential.

“I am optimistic that Carsome is on track with a strong position, especially with the recent acquisition of Southeast Asia's leading automotive listing and content platform, iCar Asia Limited. Relying on our core values, namely trust and transparency, we can create a more integrated automotive ecosystem that will benefit consumers and provide added value to the industry," added Mawikere.

Most recently, Carsome appointed former AirAsia's chief growth officer, Ravi Shankar, as its CMO as well. In his role, Shankar will oversee brand, marketing, digital, social media, public relations, growth, market research, and customer experience. He will also be working closely with Carsome’s chief brand officer, Derek Tan, on brand, creative, production, and sponsorships.

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