Spiro appoints Anant Badjatya as group CEO following $215M funding boost

African electric mobility company Spiro has appointed Anant Badjatya as its first Group CEO. This new leadership position has been created as the company enters a new phase of pan-African expansion, following its significant $215 million equity raise.

The appointment marks a structural shift at Spiro rather than a change of leadership at the top. Kaushik Burman remains as CEO, continuing to lead country operations and regional execution across the seven markets where the company currently operates.

Badjatya’s Group CEO role sits above that layer, overseeing strategic functions and positions that span the organisation as it scales beyond its current footprint.

The company created a Group CEO position because the company has become more complex. This new role adds a layer of leadership between the founder and the country-specific operations. This kind of structural change usually occurs when a company expands from a single market to multiple countries, requiring management of different regulations, local partnerships, and expansion schedules.

Ekon 450M3, Ekon Alpha+, and the Ekon Collectible Limited Edition bikes at the SPIRO Lagos media showcase. Credit: Technext/Mubarak Bankole

Spiro announced the appointment after the close of its $215 million equity round, backed by Impact Fund Denmark and Equitane, bringing the company’s total funding to over $365 million.

The raise is being used to expand its battery-swapping network, strengthen manufacturing and assembly operations, accelerate technology development, and push into new markets, including the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ethiopia.

Similar read: Spiro raises new $215M equity funding to expand battery-swap network across Africa

The company currently has more than 100,000 electric motorcycles on the road across Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, and Cameroon, supported by over 2,500 battery-swapping stations and more than 30 million completed battery swaps. It employs 6,000 people directly and indirectly and operates manufacturing plants in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda alongside a battery recycling facility in Nigeria.

Kaushik Burman, CEO of Spiro

Why Spiro is restructuring its leadership

The company wants to grow, but this requires more coordination than one CEO can manage alone. The company is focusing on the DRC and Ethiopia, two complex yet promising markets in Africa.

With over 150 engineers and more than 30 proprietary patents, Spiro has a significant industrial presence. To support this growth, the company needs leaders who can handle its expanding operations.

The Group CEO structure gives Badjatya oversight of the broader organisational architecture while Burman focuses on the ground-level execution that has been central to Spiro’s growth story.

Spiro bike

For riders across the continent who depend on Spiro’s electric motorcycles to earn a living, with daily cost savings of up to $2 compared to petrol-powered bikes, the leadership change represents the company doubling down on the infrastructure that underpins their livelihoods.

The company said it will provide further details on Badjatya’s specific responsibilities as the new structure becomes operational.