talabat has announced a leadership transition, with Tomaso Rodriguez stepping down as CEO after six years in the role. He will be succeeded by Toon Gyssels, who will formally assume the position on 21 November 2025. Rodriguez will remain on the company’s Board as a non-executive director, focusing on strategy and stakeholder engagement.
Rodriguez led talabat through a period of significant expansion, growing the business more than ninefold and guiding it through a record-breaking IPO in December 2024.
Gyssels previously spent four years at talabat as COO and Interim CEO, where he helped scale operations across MENA, launched Q-commerce and cloud kitchen verticals, and strengthened the platform’s logistics network. Most recently, he served as COO at Kitopi and CEO of its On Demand business unit.
“With Toon’s outstanding entrepreneurial experience and proven track record in the platform delivery technology sector, we are confident that he will drive talabat’s next chapter of innovation and growth in the region,” said Pieter-Jan Vandepitte, Chairperson of talabat’s Board of Directors.
“talabat has achieved a great deal in recent years, and I’m excited to rejoin at such a pivotal point in its journey,” Gyssels said. “Together with the team, my focus will be on accelerating innovation and ensuring we are well positioned to capture the opportunities ahead in one of the most dynamic markets in the world.”
Founded in 2004, talabat is the MENA region’s largest on-demand delivery platform, operating in eight markets and serving more than 6.5 million active customers.
