Coca-Cola has appointed former Safaricom Chief Business Development Officer Debra Mallowah as the new Vice President for the East and Central Africa Franchise.
Ms Mallowah also formerly served as General Manager for East and Central Africa at GlaxoSmithKline, Unilever’s Sub-Sahara Africa Vice President and Group Marketing and Innovations Director at the East African Breweries Limited.
She was appointed on February 15 and is set to oversee the development and implementation of Coca-Cola’s business strategies across the East and Central Africa.
"Debra is a highly accomplished leader with a wealth of experience gained within leading multi-national organizations. She has a strong track record of driving growth and is a versatile leader with deep understanding of customers and markets in Sub-Saharan Africa," Bruno Pietracci, Coca-Cola’s President for Africa Operating Unit said.
Ms Mallowah said she would focus on the available growth opportunities for the business, despite the challenges experienced the past year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"A lot has changed around the environment we operate in especially in the last one year driven by the ongoing pandemic, but there many growth opportunities for the Coca-Cola business and that is my focus," she said.
Debra holds a Business degree (Honours) from the University of Nairobi and completed an Advanced Management Program from the IESE Business School in Spain and an Executive Program on Fintech Innovation at Said Business School, Oxford University. She has lived and worked in Kenya, South Africa, and the UK, and is married with two children.
She takes over the role from Phillipine Mtikikiti who served who served since June 2019 and who has moved on to take up a similar role for the South Africa Franchise in Johannesburg.
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