BUSINESS STRATEGY

FMCG giant makes key appointment to drive African growth strategy

By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2024

Seasoned business executive Polycarp Igathe takes over as Managing Director of Tiger Brands International.

Tiger Brands International has announced the appointment of Polycarp Igathe as its Managing Director. He is a seasoned business executive with 28 years of experience in commercial and operations management, strategy, and M&A integration. 

Photo: Tiger Brands

Igathe has successfully served at senior level in several blue-chip organisations on the African continent. He has also held senior government roles. 

 

According to a statement released by Tiger Brands International, Igathe has comprehensive insight into the competitive sub-Saharan Africa trading environment.  

 

“As Tiger Brands’ Chief Growth Officer – Rest of Africa, a role he was appointed to in January 2022, the Tiger Brands International division has recorded a stellar growth trajectory,” the statement says. 

 

Igathe is one of six managing director appointments announced by South African-based FMCG company Tiger Brands to head up the company’s newly organised business units.  

 

The FMCG giant has simplified its organisational structure into six business units, all reporting to the CEO. They are Bakeries; Grains; Culinary; Snacks, Treats & Beverages; Home and Personal Care (HPC) & Baby; and Tiger Brands International. 

 

Footprint on the continent stretches across 25 countries 

 

Tiger Brands is one of Africa’s largest listed manufacturers of fast-moving consumer goods. Its footprint on the continent stretches across 25 countries, with five priority markets – Cameroon, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Nigeria. The growth strategy in these regions is driven by Tiger Brands International.  

 

“The [Tiger Brands International] team also drives exciting growth opportunities across the world through its Exports business, focusing on bringing 154 quality brands and products within 21 categories to consumers in 55 countries around the world,” the company says on its website. 

 

Igathe has held senior management roles at Coca-Cola SABCO Kenya. For Tiger Brands, he served as Regional Managing Director: East Africa from 2008 to 2013. Other notable roles include Deputy Governor of Nairobi City; Managing Director at Equity Bank Kenya; Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Vivo Energy in Africa; and Group Chief Commercial Officer at Equity Bank Holdings Limited. 

 

He has served as non-executive chairman and non-executive director for various industry bodies. These include being Chairman of the Kenya Anti-Counterfeit Agency (KACA), and Chairman of the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM). 

 

The other new Tiger Brands appointments are: Quinton Swart as Managing Director: Bakeries; Liezel Holmes as Managing Director: Grains; Dumo Mfini as Managing Director: Culinary; Grant Pereira as Managing Director: Snacks & Treats and Beverages; and Ismail Nanabhay as Managing Director: HPC (Home and Personal Care) and Baby. 

 

In December 2023, Tiger Brands CEO, Tjaart Kruger, announced that the company would “prioritise the implementation of a new operating model to enable sustainable growth, restore focus into the operations and enable agile decision-making”. 

 

Its well-known brands include Koo, Fattis and Monis, Jungle Oats, Enterprise, All Gold, Purity, Oros, Ingrams, Doom and Tastic Rice.

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Rozanne
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