Rakesh Rajbally, Managing Director at Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa, reflects on 27 years with a company committed to sustainability and good business practice, and shares insights on his leadership and personal development journey.
Yours is an inspirational story. Describe your career advancement and what key milestones have resulted in your appointment as Managing Director at Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa.
I officially assumed the role of Managing Director at Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) on February 1st of this year, but my journey within the Coca-Cola system spans over a quarter of a century. I began my career in 1997 as a temporary Filing Clerk at Amalgamated Beverages Industries (ABI), one of the six entities that eventually merged to form CCBSA.
I have always been a hard worker and team player, and knew that I can add real value towards organisational growth. Therefore, throughout my career, I’ve steadily advanced through various roles, including District Manager for multiple a number of our regions. The formation of CCBSA in 2016 marked a significant milestone, during which I held several executive positions. Initially, I served as the Marketing and Strategy Director and subsequently as the Commercial Director. Each of these roles equipped me with the experiences and insights necessary to take on the role of Managing Director.
I ascribe my personal and professional growth within the organisation to my strong work ethic and a commitment to continuous self-development. I hope my journey serves as an inspiration to others, demonstrating what is possible with dedication, and perseverance and a willingness to learn and collaborate across the business.
What is your primary responsibility in this role, and what excites you most about this role?
One of my most critical responsibilities is to drive sustainable, profitable growth year on year. So, my role is to develop and embed a culture of excellence, performance and increased productivity, particularly in an environment that is changing rapidly.
However, over and above growing our bottom line, one of my significant responsibilities and passions is people and leadership development. No organisation can achieve its strategic vision unless it has people firmly behind that ambition. So, this vision has to be clear, sound, and achievable.
I try to live out this passion for development on a personal level, always seeking to learn, grow, and become a better version of myself than I was yesterday. I believe we have two hands – one to help yourself and one to help others. I take great delight in seeing the success of others – particularly young leaders – whom I have been able to impact in some manner through coaching, mentorship and guidance. So, the prospect of growth for our business and development for our people excites me.
Can you give us a sense of who is CCBSA?
We are an organisation of over 7 600 employees spread across four key regions and 13 sites in South Africa. We manufacture and supply beverages to our customers, who then sell them to our consumers. The presence of our business and potential for growth and development extends beyond our business. We can create shared opportunities that benefit our organisation and the communities we serve across the value chain.
For CCBSA, opportunity transcends financial gains. It is about fostering a better and economically inclusive future for people and communities throughout South Africa.
Considering this new promotion and the realities in South Africa, technological advancements, and so forth, what are your key focus areas to ensure continued sustainable growth for CCBSA?
Sustainability is at the core of our Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) business. As a proud industry leader, we are committed to developing increasingly sustainable methods to manufacture, distribute, and sell our products.
We leverage our leadership position to contribute to positive global change and to build a more sustainable future for the planet. We recognise that we cannot operate in isolation; thus, we strongly emphasise strong collaborations that are mutually beneficial and create inclusive growth opportunities for connected communities, women and youth, customers, our employees, and shareholders.
Like many leaders, I place much currency on technology and its ability to revolutionise how we do things, not just for businesses but across society. It makes conducting business easier and more seamless. Integrated business systems enable quick decision-making and turn-around times. This is a plus for both the public and private sectors. A far cry from how things were when I started as a young professional. It is an exciting time to do business leveraging technology. Opportunities are endless.
What are some of the challenges you anticipate in the current trading environment?
We all know that the trading environment is complex, compounded mainly by a challenging economic climate, high levels of unemployment, and erratic electricity and water supply, to mention a few. It will take a while before things stabilise, but it will get better with hard work.
The regulatory environment is not the easiest, but I will not dwell on it save to say that the government does what it has to do while balancing disparate societal needs. Sometimes, the government will choose what it sees as a lesser evil – regulate industry. As businesses, we understand this, but we also hope for pragmatic, co-created solutions that will move the country forward.
Our primary focus is to continue growing our businesses and creating employment while doing good for society. My vision is to create a customer-centric mindset by anticipating, meeting and exceeding our customer needs. We can only do that by being targeted and focused and putting our resources behind what will guarantee value.
We will develop a highly skilled workforce that can use data to extract insights focused on driving sustainable solutions that will future-proof and build resilience into our business. That way, we can respond to current and future challenges while creating positive change for the planet.
How do you see your contribution towards helping solve some of our societal challenges, which sometimes seem insurmountable?
Our challenges can indeed be overwhelming. I recognise the threats posed by unemployment, poverty, and inequality to South African society, including the business community. Securing our social license to operate (LTO) is critical for a business like ours. To this end, we initiated a Social Mapping project to profile the communities in which we operate. By listening to residents and organisations, we sought to understand their needs and priorities better, fostering greater cohesion.
Economic inclusion is a cornerstone of our sustainability strategy because we understand that our business can only thrive when the communities we serve thrive. These communities ultimately contribute to the growth of our businesses as they will have purchasing power. The relationship is symbiotic and mutually beneficial.
What are some of the key projects/initiatives you are driving?
Our efforts include significant contributions to help reduce youth unemployment, support their educational aspirations, foster and support enterprise and supplier development, and help them become viable businesses.
Further, as part of our commitment to sustainability, we address the highest-priority issues facing our company, stakeholders, and communities, aiming to maximise our collective impact. Key focus areas include water conservation, tackling the plastic waste crisis, combating climate change, and creating greater shared opportunities for all.
As a bulk water user, how do you navigate the complexity surrounding water and the fact that South Africa is a water-scarce country?
Water is also a key priority for the Coca-Cola System, of which we are a part. It is essential to life, our beverages, and the communities we serve.
The Coca-Cola Company’s 2030 Water Security Strategy has focused on increasing water security by investing in water initiatives that benefit nature and communities. This includes projects that benefit local watersheds that supply water for drinking, agriculture, and manufacturing, restoring and conserving habitats for plants and animals, and offering opportunities for local economic development.
We work hard to replenish the water we use in our finished beverages to nature and communities.
How will you continue responding to the challenge of plastic waste, given that the bulk of your packaging is PET?
It is essential to mention that we recognise our responsibility to help solve complex plastic waste challenges facing our planet and society. That’s why, in 2018, we launched an ambitious strategy called World Without Waste to drive systemic change through a circular economy for our packaging.
We are working to use more recycled content in our packaging, expand our use of returnable bottles, and collect packaging for recycling through this initiative.
Under your leadership, how does CCBSA seek to engage with key stakeholders?
We are committed to upholding the principles of transparency, consistency, accountability, and integrity in engagements with stakeholders. This builds trust, mutual respect, and collaboration.
We seek to foster partnerships that drive collective impact, including in areas such as economic inclusion, water stewardship, packaging circularity, climate action and many more.
We engage with stakeholders, including governments, NGOs, communities, suppliers, investors, business partners, customers and consumers in various forums and formats. This helps us better understand our external environment, which informs and shapes our business solutions and sustainability strategy.
What are your key strengths, and how does this enable you to unlock opportunities?
I firmly believe in decisive, inclusive leadership and taking people along. At CCBSA, we seek to drive and embed a high-intensity, high-performance culture along with the fundamental values of respect and empathy. We believe that if we do this right, alongside ownership and accountability, then our entire organisation excels.
How we are on the inside as an organisation reflects and impacts how we engage with others – our suppliers, customers, communities, and other key stakeholders. We strive to do business the right way, not just the easy way.
Having been with Coca-Cola for 27 years, what edge do you feel this long tenure provides when looking ahead?
Well, the one thing such a long tenure does provide is a deep understanding of the business, broader institutional knowledge, context, and perspective. There is not much I haven’t seen or encountered in my career.
My expertise spans general management, sales, marketing, logistics and finance within the FMCG industry. This broad range of career and life experiences helps stand one in good stead, even when so-called Black Swan events such as COVID-19 hit. All these experiences help one navigate through unchartered waters.
Having worked in different departments and held various positions, how have you influenced the organisation’s culture?
The truism holds that effective leadership understands all aspects of a business or organisation. Having worked my way up from junior to senior to executive levels over almost three decades, it provides unique insights into the roles, pressures, functions, experiences, expectations and more that each individual holds within the business.
Today, thanks to my career path, I can walk onto the floor of any of our manufacturing sites or elsewhere across the business and relate with employees. I would say that my career has helped me to understand fully what makes our business tick.
What has been critical to your long tenure at Coca-Cola?
Personal drive, ambition, and the standards I have always set for myself and others who work alongside me. But importantly, CCBSA recognises my personal growth and development and aligns these with career paths and appropriate opportunities. It all needs to come together in harmony. Personal drive and excellence mean nothing if there are no opportunities for growth in an organisation. The converse is also true that one will not advance in one’s career without a strong work ethic, a commitment to personal development, and the striving for excellence.
Thankfully, I have found a very happy home in CCBSA, and I hope my journey through the organisation inspires others to see what is possible.
Finally, what does success look like for you as a leader in three to five years?
I would like to look back at my tenure after five years at the helm and see a highly productive, high-performing organisation that has delivered results and value for its shareholders built high levels of trust amongst all its key stakeholders, including our customers, employees, communities and government. A well-oiled organisation is fit for purpose, where employees can grow, thrive and achieve their career aspirations.
I hope to have contributed to continuing to build a legacy that previous leaders built. I am proud to have run a company that has played its part in helping create a better world. I hope to be as excited as I am now, surrounded by capable and talented leaders and employees who equally believe in our company’s potential to grow and refresh South Africa daily.
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About CCBSA
Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) is a proudly South African company that began operating as a legal entity in July 2016 after merging six non-alcoholic ready-to-drink bottling operations. We are a level 3 B-BBEE-empowered company. We employ over 7 000 people at 13 manufacturing facilities across the country. As a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) and a bottler for The Coca-Cola Company, our vision is to refresh Africa daily and make our continent a better place for all. We manufacture and distribute Coca-Cola beverages that make life’s everyday moments more enjoyable while doing business correctly. The result is shared opportunities for our customers, employees, communities, and shareholders. We conduct our business ethically, transparently, and conscientiously. We espouse an inclusive business culture to reflect our African identity. We accelerate sustainable, profitable revenue growth across all categories and offer an innovative product portfolio that responds to customer needs and consumer preferences. Profitability is essential, but not at any cost. People matter. Our planet matters. We do business correctly by following our values and partnering for solutions that benefit us all.
