QNET appoints Jared Thwaits to lead East and Southern Africa operations

Thwaits will oversee QNET’s operations in the region, with responsibilities including compliance, consumer protection, distributor training, customer experience and digital transformation.

His appointment comes as direct-selling companies increasingly rely on digital platforms, mobile payments and social media to reach customers and recruit independent distributors, while facing growing calls for greater transparency and consumer protection.

Thwaits said QNET would focus on educating customers and its Independent Distributors on legitimate direct selling and strengthening compliance in the Kenyan market.

“Kenya has one of Africa's most dynamic entrepreneurial populations and a highly developed digital economy. This creates enormous potential, but growth must be accompanied by responsibility, transparency and education,” he said.

He said the company’s expansion would be guided by product knowledge, consumer awareness and ethical business practices.

“The future of direct selling in Kenya must be built around real products, informed consumers, well-trained distributors and ethical business practices,” Thwaits said.

“We want to contribute to an environment where people clearly understand what legitimate direct selling is, what it is not, and what they should expect from companies and individuals operating within the industry.”

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics reported that the informal sector accounted for more than 80 per cent of employment in 2025, reflecting the significant role of small businesses and self-employment in the economy.

Thwaits said digital tools had also changed how entrepreneurs conduct business, allowing them to market products through social media, communicate with customers through platforms such as WhatsApp and receive payments electronically.

“Today, a Kenyan entrepreneur can discover a customer through social media, communicate through WhatsApp, receive a digital payment and manage significant parts of their business from a smartphone,” he said.

QNET said it would strengthen its digital tools, distributor training and customer services, while exploring the use of data and artificial intelligence to improve operations and customer experience.

The company operates through a direct-selling model under which customers purchase products online while Independent Distributors market the products and build sales businesses around them.

Thwaits’ appointment is part of a broader restructuring of QNET’s global leadership. Mattias Mildenborn has been appointed chief executive officer, with Elena Khoo as chief marketing officer, Peter Luk as chief financial officer and Ben Bredenkamp as group chief information officer.

The company said the new leadership team would focus on product development, customer experience, distributor capability, compliance and technology.

Kuna Senathirajah, group managing director of QNET’s parent company QI Group, said the changes were intended to bring additional industry and transformation expertise to the business.

Thwaits said Kenya would remain an important market in QNET’s regional plans.

“We want to build for the long term in Kenya,” he said, adding that this would involve engaging consumers, supporting distributors and strengthening the company’s compliance standards.