Innovation leads transformation

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28 July 2020 – They say that the way you overcome challenges defines your success. And in the corporate world, you don’t get a bigger challenge than joining Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) at the beginning of a global pandemic. However, that’s exactly the situation that Agatha Masemola found herself in… and true to form, she’s thriving.

As the new Strategy and Performance Director, Agatha started her new career at a time of uncertainty, fear and anxiety, but using her trademark combination of innovation and forward and creative thinking, she has lost no time in honing in on her core mandate of growing the business.

“In whatever I do, I always strive to do something that adds value to society,” Masemola says.

Her career has been an interesting journey spanning different industries, but one golden thread runs through it: strategic transformation. She started in Biochemistry where she transitioned from a full-time researcher with publications in peer-reviewed journals to managing a biotechnology fund investing in biotech start-ups. She transitioned into the business world by joining Deloitte Strategy & Innovation, where she led commercialisation of several ventures across various sectors, including financial services, and oil & gas, to name a few. Later, as a Strategy Consultant and Chief of Staff for Absa Corporate and Investment Banking, she played a key role in the build-out of the Corporate Banking business in key markets across Africa.

“Moving from a technical to a commercial focus was a great opportunity to use my innovative and creative thinking to help companies build businesses of the future,” she says.

When it comes to CCBSA, her vision is to harness the power of data to infuse a company steeped in tradition with the knowledge that will allow it to build entirely new businesses. “To predict what business will look like in the future, we need to consider what we know now, what is happening around us, and consumption patterns of consumers in the future. It is almost like looking through a crystal ball, understanding megatrends and asking the question, what will be the impact on the future of the business should these trends materialise?”, she says. “And with the world’s economy in a state of flux and further decline due to the Covid-19 pandemic, what better time is there for us to break new ground?”

As she sees it, her role is to partner with fellow executives in the business to address critical questions:

• What new businesses should CCBSA invest in today for future growth?
• How do we diversify our current beverage portfolio?
• How do we leverage our existing assets and network to maximise revenue generation?
• How do I help CCBSA transform its business model to easily adapt to change and the resilience required to survive shocks?

She believes that this transformation will be driven by a powerful combination of innovation and technology; and leveraging the current infrastructure to unlock value.

When it comes to innovation, CCBSA is perfectly placed to take advantage of global trends that show a definite shift in consumption towards more healthy, nutritious and sustainable beverages. Our market leading position in Sparkling beverages provides an excellent platform to diversify into other lucrative beverages by targeting consumers with differentiated propositions across various market segments.

Whether it is challenges that can be predicted, like economic cycles, or black swan events, like COVID-19, Agatha is a firm believer in the power of foresight and leveraging digital technology to execute. Whatever the nature of the challenge, technology must be at the heart of it.

Agatha attributes her success to a diverse background and expertise; but also, she was brought up in a home where there were no gender-defined roles. Whoever had the time or did it best, did the job. This grounding has served her well in a patriarchal workspace. “You are not a woman, you are a professional,” she insists. It is this attitude, coupled with her ability to reinvent herself and adapting to different environments, that will be the driving force behind an exciting new chapter of growth for CCBSA.

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Rakesh Rajbally

Managing Director: South Africa

Rakesh has 26 years of experience in General Management, Sales, Marketing, Logistics and Finance in the Coca-Cola bottling system. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and his focus on growth and leadership in CCBSA’s Commercial function has made him a sought after thought leader in developing and implementing revenue growth and route to market strategies in both modern and emerging markets.

As a leader of CCBSA’s strategic and operational customer management, he recently achieved the #1 ranking across FMCG companies in the Advantage survey for two consecutive years. Having started his Coca-Cola system journey as a young temporary Filing Clerk at ABI in 1997, Rakesh’s drive to succeed is inspirational testament to the power of self-development within our system that supports and rewards a consistent work ethic, self-empowerment and a growth mindset.

Janett Forbes

Commercial Excellence Director

Janett is a seasoned financial, logistics, and commercial executive who joins us from Vector Logistics previously a division of RCL Foods where she held position of Finance Director.

Prior to this, Janett was part of the Coca-Cola family, having occupied various senior roles of Finance Manager, Category Manager, Revenue Growth Manager and Channel Development Manager within ABI in 2002 and 2016.

Janett is a qualified Chartered Accountant (CA(SA), has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Rhodes University in Grahamstown and a higher diploma in Accounting from University of Natal in Durban.

Desilan Pillay

Logistics Director

He joined the Coke system as a Unit Manager Designate at ABI Midrand in 2008. Desilan encompasses 20 years of management experience from companies including Afrox (Linde Group), the South African Breweries (ABI soft drinks and SABMiller – now ABInbev), and Unilever.  

He has a wealth of experience and a vast skillset within South Africa and across the African continent – all at executive levels. This includes, but is not limited to, project management, engineering, production (gases), packaging (FMCG), as well as operations management, financial management, sales and distribution, procurement, and planning (demand, supply, and production). Desilan has managed portfolios across end-to-end Supply Chain (Sourcing, Demand, and Supply Planning), Warehouse Management, Production, and Distribution, including Customer Care, After-sales and reverse logistics. He was also accountable for the delivery of service excellence in order fulfilment, cost of goods sold enhancement via strategic sourcing, and the overall cash optimisation (inventory) across the business. His most recent role before re-joining the CCBSA family is as the Chief Operations Officer at Anchor Holdings, one of the largest privately-owned warehousing companies in South Africa.

Desilan is a qualified Mechanical Engineer and has completed a Management Development Programme from UCT. His areas of expertise include building high performance teams and E2E supply chain and commercial acumen.

Desilan has been happily married for the past 16 years and has a 12-year-old daughter and 18-month-old twins – a boy and a girl. In his spare time, he enjoys seeing new sights locally and abroad. He is always planning his next trip to an exciting destination together with his family.

Nozicelo Ngcobo

Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability Director

Nozicelo started her corporate career in 1994 when she was recruited by Sasol into their Management Trainee Programme of the top 16 academic graduates in South Africa – class of 1993. In addition to Sasol, Nozicelo has since worked for listed companies such as Telkom SA, South African Breweries (SAB) as well as multi-national organisations such as Philip Morris International (PMI). In 2020, Nozicelo joined Coca Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) as Director for PACS.

Nozicelo has a demonstrable track record in successfully developing and managing corporate affairs and regulatory strategies for complex industries such as alcohol, tobacco and recently the beverages industry. Nozicelo has strong professional networks spanning more than 25 years in both public and private sectors. Her strategic insights, value creation, solutions orientation, strong business/political acumen, solid networks and ability to mobilise teams to successfully execute towards a common vision are just some of the many attributes she brings into any organisation.

Nozicelo is an advocate of human rights, animal rights and has a passion for youth/women empowerment.

Michael John Wilson

Finance Director

Michael started his working career at KPMG as a Manager and Trainee Accountant from 2002 until 2006. After completing his articles, his highest position held at KPMG was Audit Manager and Office Administration Manager. In 2006 to 2009, he worked at BASF South Africa (previously known as Engelhard South Africa), where he was appointed as Site Controller – Mobile Emissions Catalysts Division. He also served as a Team Leader for Finance when the company changed its ERP from JD Edwards to SAP. In 2009, Michael joined Coca-Cola Fortune (CCF) as Finance Manager – Business Support.

In 2015, he was assigned to the CCBA integration team as a Finance work stream member and later that year, Michael was appointed Finance Manager for Marketing, Sales and Distribution. Michael relocated to Windhoek, Namibia in January 2016 as Financial Director for Coca-Cola Beverages Namibia. In October 2017, Michael returned to Port Elizabeth as Group Financial Controller for CCBA, a position he currently holds. He serves on a number of boards and audit committees within the CCBA Group.

In 2000, Michael graduated with a B.Com (Accountancy) Degree from the University of Port Elizabeth and a year later, he completed his B. Com Honours (Accountancy) at the same university. He was admitted as a Chartered Accountant (CA) in 2005. In 2010, he completed his Executive Development Programme at the University of Stellenbosch Business School.

Moses Lubisi

Manufacturing & Technical Director

Moses has over 20 years of extensive experience spanning various industries such as Sugar, Food and Beverages, and Mineral processing, including 15 years within the Coca-Cola system, Moses brings a wealth of knowledge to this role.

His journey within CCBSA has seen him excel in positions ranging from Plant Manager, Regional Manufacturing Manager (Coastal) in CCBSA to Executive Director for Appletiser (Pty) Ltd. Before returning to CCBA within Group Office, Moses served as an Operations Director at Illovo Sugar (Pty) Ltd. His expertise lies in strategy formulation, governance and execution, with a focus on end-to-end value chain orchestration across manufacturing, warehousing, logistics and supply chain management.

Moses has held senior and executive management roles for over six years, overseeing regional and enterprise-level strategies, assets and resource allocation.

Agatha Masemola

Strategy and Performance Director

Agatha joined CCBSA in April 2020 from Absa Corporate and Investment Bank Africa, where she held various roles in the past nine years, including as Managing Principal for Strategy & Business Transformation and Chief of Staff to the Chief Executive of Barclays Africa Corporate Bank. She was a key figure in the build-out and integration of the Corporate Bank across 13 African markets.

Prior to joining Absa, Agatha was a Senior Management Consultant in Strategy and Innovation at Deloitte Consulting, South Africa. At Deloitte, Agatha worked on several executive-sponsored strategy and innovation projects across various sectors, as well as driving new business development. Prior to Deloitte, she worked in Life Sciences R&D for over ten years, both as a full-time researcher with publications in peer reviewed journals, and as a Portfolio Manager & COO for a biotechnology fund management, focusing on investment in early-stage biotech ventures and commercialisation.

Agatha holds a PhD in Medical Biochemistry from the University of Cape Town and has completed post-Doctoral research in South Africa and the USA. She obtained her BSc (Biochemistry and Physiology) and MSc (Biochemistry) from the University of the North. She completed a Management Advancement Programme at Wits Business School to help her transition from laboratory to business.

Agatha loves to travel and enjoys experiencing different cultures and sampling local cuisine.

Hannes Prinsloo

Country Sales Director

Hannes comes with a wealth of experience and strong commercial operations expertise stretching over 30 years within the Bottling system; truly an example of “home grown timber”.

In his most recent role, of General Manager Commercial, he managed the Revenue Growth, Route to Market, Category management, Channel Development and Knowledge and Insights. His previous experiences include that of General Manager Operations, District Manager and National Account Manager.

Among his career achievements, he counts being inducted as a Grand Master in 2021, which is a true testament to his passion for people, strong work ethic, and unwavering commitment to performance. The Masters are seasoned professionals in our core functions (Commercial, Logistics & Manufacturing) who have consistently delivered exceptional results in their 20-plus years of service in the organisation. CCBSA bestows its highest honour these professionals who have shown exemplary commitment, fortitude, passion, loyalty and most importantly, value-adding leadership.

In May 2023, at the annual Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) General Management Meeting (GMM) Awards, he was honoured to receive the CEO Award, which honours exceptional leadership that sets a clear example of consistently living our values. In his leisure time, Hannes follows a wide variety of debate platforms and sports.

Mkuseli Dlikilili

Human Resources Director

Prior to Mkuseli’s appointment to CCBSA, Mkuseli was Group Executive: Human Resources at Pioneer Foods, he  worked for leading South African organisations, including Eskom, SAB, Dulux and Portnet.

Mkuseli’s extensive experience in the FMCG environment includes playing a leading role in Pioneer Foods’ successful listing on the JSE and the integration of SA Dried Fruit and Ceres Fruit Juices. Mkuseli is passionate about empowering and developing people to realise their full potential, as well as contributing positively to all the spheres of their lives, and the accentuation of human dignity. He describes himself as an authentic, resilient, reliable, courageous, humble, principled and value-based person, and a committed Human Resources professional.