Dubizzle fires CEO and Senior Managers in a major restructuring move

Dubizzle, the poster boy of classified listing websites in UAE, is going to through a major shakeup.

According to a report by Arabian Business, dubizzle.com has parted with its CEO and numerous other staff members as part of a major restructuring.

Other senior managers also are among those who have lost their jobs. The restructuring is intended to make the business less UAE-centric and give it a broader MENA footprint.

Dubizzle launched in 2005 as a website for UAE residents to buy and sell items such as cars and second-hand furniture as well as rent homes. Arto Joensuu had been appointed CEO in August, 2013, when Dubbizle’s founders, Sim Whatley and JC Butler, relinquished day-to-day control to return to the US with their families.

The company had employed about 150 people prior to the retrenchments.

UAE general manager Barry Judge told Arabian Business the job losses were part of a plan to expand dubizzle regionally.

“Over the past 18 months, dubizzle has developed from a local business to a regional one, and this required us to take stock of the different skills and resources required to achieve our desired expansion,” Judge said.

In response to questions about whether the company’s financial situation had influenced the decision, Judge said dubizzle was “doing great”.

“We have seen double-digit growth year-on-year and continue to be a household name in the UAE,” he said.

“We’ve achieved a similar status in Egypt, where the adoption of classifieds has seen exponential growth. We are confident that the changes made in February will accelerate our growth in this region and give everyone a chance to better manage their household economy through buying and selling on dubizzle.”