Locallista hires new directors to launch three new markets

LISBON, PORTUGAL, February 2026 - Locallista today announced three new market directors, each responsible for opening and growing one of its next markets: Singapore, Amsterdam and Luxembourg. Between them, they bring experience from global brands such as Crocs, Diesel and EY, from founding and running their own marketplaces, and from the heart of Asia’s startup ecosystem. Each is based in the city she will launch.

Their initial focus will be on meeting local businesses, screening them against Locallista’s standards, and building the first community of expat members in each city.

Meet the people behind the markets

Singapore: Sharmin Reehman, Managing Director. Sharmin has spent more than eight years helping startups launch and scale across Asia, including leading New Zealand’s incubator initiatives in the region. She is City Leader of Founders Live Singapore, part of a global network connecting entrepreneurs with people, capital and exposure, mentors early-stage founders across Southeast Asia at Accelerating Asia and the NUS Entrepreneurship Society, and founded Elev8te, which champions women in tech.

Amsterdam: Jannu Frutos, General Manager. Jannu built her career in marketing with global brands. At Crocs she was International Wholesale Marketing Manager, owning European wholesale marketing and a budget of more than €1 million. Before that she was European Trade Marketing Manager at O’Neill, working with retailers such as Amazon, Galeries Lafayette and Bol.com, and led PR, influencer and social media strategy for Diesel in Germany. She also founded her own yoga apparel brand, DAKIDES, sold in 10 markets.

Luxembourg: Karine Mazareanu Gerardi, Country Manager. Karine is a two-time marketplace founder. She co-founded and led iluk, a curated marketplace for beauty salon clients in Montreal, and Dispo, a members-only booking platform for the best salons and spas in Paris. She began her career as a Senior Consultant at EY in Luxembourg, where she spent five years advising multinational clients on international tax structuring.

Growing from a strong base

The openings are backed by Locallista’s €2m funding round led by Midrag, the successful services marketplace. Locallista starts this next stage with more than 13,000 registered users and more than 700 live businesses across Lisbon and Barcelona.

“To open our next markets, we were looking for builders, and we found three exceptional ones,” said Amir Kirshenboim, founder and CEO of Locallista. “Each of them has built something from zero, shares our passion and our values, and knows the community she will serve from the inside. They are exactly the people to turn Locallista into a trusted name in their cities.”