A Graduate of financial management from Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech, he also conducted research in information and technology at Ryerson University in Canada. In 2012, he joined Avito.ma as Finance and Administration Manager. Following the merger between Bikhir and Avito in 2014, he held key positions in the startup, in finance as well as Product and Business Development Manager. In 2016, he was appointed Director of Operations and Strategy, and a year later, he became the new CEO of Avito.ma.

Now at the head of the company, Zakaria Ghassouli wants to make it the leading platform for classified ads in Morocco. In October 2020, Avito.ma was acquired by Malaysian Frontier Digital Ventures after 6 years under the control of Norwegian Adevinta. The new parent company made a group shot, spending A$56 million (more than $40 million), to acquire Avito.ma, Tunisian classifieds site Tayara.tn, and Colombian real estate portal Fincaraiz.com. 

"It allows us to continue to execute our strategy and to pursue the mission we have set ourselves. We want to assist Moroccans in the search for the best opportunities at every stage of their lives," said Zakaria Ghassouli. True to his development ambitions, he announced last March 6, a new offer targeting VSEs and SMEs. Called avitoboutiques.com, the new service aims to facilitate the transition of companies to the digital space and expose their brands to millions of potential customers. The decision to launch a digital store platform was driven by a sharp increase in the number of stores created on the Avito.ma platform by 2022. In addition to this, avitoboutiques.com will provide data analytics to help business owners make better decisions to improve the customer experience.

Avito.ma claims more than 6 million unique visitors and more than 28 million visits per month. Already present in the automotive, real estate, and IT/multimedia sectors, the new avitoboutiques.com platform will allow the startup to reach other sectors.

"As the first marketplace in Morocco, we have decided to help professionals in their transition to the digital by offering them the opportunity to reach more than 8.4 million potential contacts per month," said Zakaria Ghassouli.

Aïsha Moyouzame