Soumia Benturquia, Founder & CEO of last mile delivery startup FODEL has won the ‘Achieving Women Award’ in the Logistics category during the Entrepreneur Middle East event which recognised prominent women in business.
Benturquia was found deserving the award as “an enterprising individual who has delivered innovation, tangible benefits and proven commercial success for the UAE’s logistics industry as well as for her ability to raise millions of dollars from investors who believe that her innovative solution has the potential to transform this industry”.
Earlier this year FODEL raised $2.6 million by a number of prominent investors and advisors including Al Rajhi family members from Saudi Arabia, and FODEL’s Chairman and ex-Fedex Senior Vice President Europe, Middle East, Africa and Indian Sub-continental, Hamdi Osman, a 33-year logistics industry veteran and a strong figure in the region’s express delivery sector.
She launched FODEL in the UAE to provide a better alternative to home delivery for online shoppers who now have the choice to collect their parcels from any of FODEL’s 1,000 pick up locations across all seven emirates any time they want instead of having to wait for the driver to deliver their order at home or office.
Having established its first-mover advantage in the UAE, FODEL will soon launch its operations in Saudi Arabia where it already has secured over 1,000 pick-up locations.
Soumia is a tech entrepreneur with a mission to disrupt the last mile delivery model and radically improve the delivery experience for the GCC customers. She leads FODEL’s international team located at offices in Dubai, Riyadh, and Shenzhen.