Hojjat Niki-Maleki, a former communications chief for the Execution of Imam Khomeini's Order (Setad), has taken the helm of Digikala Group, Iran's dominant online marketplace. The change, effective June 10, became public this week, according to Iranian tech outlet Digiato. Niki-Maleki joined the board as a representative of Harakat Aval, the investment arm of mobile operator MCI, which recently purchased a 40% stake in Digikala for about $146 million. His background includes running the hardline media platform Afsaran and promoting Iran's domestically produced Covid-19 vaccine, CovIran Barekat, during a politically charged period when Supreme Leader Khamenei barred imports of Western vaccines.