1. CURRICULUM VITAE
THULANI NCOBELA (ABRIDGED)
+27 [0] 82 578 1597
Thulani.n@icloud.com
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE:
A key industry role-player leveraging continued, dynamic experience and expertise in the high level management
of Marketing, Sales and Business Development; Mr Thulani Ncobela has served on behalf of key Organisations
across diverse industries, including EMI Music and National Brands Limited.
Currently fulfilling the role of Head of Commercial Leadership & Integration on behalf of the Southern & East Africa
branch of The Coca-Cola Company; Mr Ncobela presents a 25 year progressive career history in areas including;
Franchise Operations Marketing | Customer & Commercial Trade Channel Management | Marketing Management
| Brand Development / Management | General & Sales Management.
Consistent excellence, professional growth and company loyalty is reflected in a remarkable course of promotion
within all three Organisations. Perceptive to market trends / opportunities, Mr Ncobela strategically translates
business goals to target markets and holds a proven track record of delivering on objectives beyond expectation.
RECENT CAREER HIGHLIGHTS:
The Coca-Cola Company [TCCC]
- 2013 / 2016: Head of Commercial Leadership & Integration Central Africa
Franchise **Promotion
­ Responsible for Revenue Growth Management / OBPPC, Shopper
Marketing and Commercial Execution across eight countries.
­ Lead the implementation of a Commercial Capability Development
Programme across these countries, assessing Bottling Partners on:
Revenue Growth Management / OBPPC; Picture of Success; Key Customer
Management; Route To Market; Right Execution Daily; Cold Drink
Equipment and Immediate Consumption.
- 2012: Appointed by the EAG C&CL Function to run a Global Work Stream
on Teen Shopper Toolkit, successfully launching the same with the
approval of the Corp.
- 2011 / 2013: Head of Traditional Trade Channel- Customer & Commercial
Function **Promotion
­ Accountable for 51% of business volume and 55% of profit.
­ Recruited a team of Channel Managers and Shopper Marketing
Candidates, forming a new platform for Channel / Shopper Marketing
Management Function.
­ Tasked with forming a new department in the Customer & Commercial
Leadership space.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Masters of Business
Leadership
- Bachelor’s Degree
- Senior Certificate / Matric
CORE PROFICIENCIES:
­ Strategy Development /
Management
­ Marketing and Sales Strategy
­ Business Development
­ Profitability / Market Growth
­ Industry Benchmarking
­ Opportunity Development
­ Channel Management
­ Performance Optimisation
­ Competitor Analysis
­ Market Positioning
­ Market Retention

2. ­ Closely collaborated with the Atlanta office (Corporate Head Office);
designed new job profiles (Channel and Shopper Managers). Successfully
filled the relevant positions within four months.
­ Held a leadership role in facilitating ‘The Traditional Trade Channel’ to
launch ‘330ml PET’ and ‘440ml Can’ pre-priced packs. Thus, improved the
overall recruitment status in this space and achieved an overnight success
in that the BU’s Immediate Consumption position resulted in a desirable
transformation since the launch of these two pack offerings.
­ In 2012, appointed to run a Global Work Stream Charter on Teen Shopper
Toolkit - “Shake Up Your Senses” on behalf of Europe, Asia and Africa
Customer & Commercial Leadership Function.
­ This was achieved via close operations with TCCC Marketing Directors and
Customer & Commercial Leadership Directors worldwide. Additionally
worked with the Atlanta Global office through weekly status meetings.
­ Successfully launched a Charter that was accepted across TCCC offices
worldwide, and within allocated budget and time frame.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Current Tenure
Coca-Cola [TCCC] [Southern & East Africa] January 2003 to Date
May 2013 to Date; Head of Commercial Leadership & Integration - Central
Africa Franchise:
- Responsible for developing and implementing a long term value based
commercial leadership strategy [3 Year Portfolio Strategy] for the Central
Africa Franchise; covering the Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi,
Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe regions.
- Ensuring that all strategic planning / direction takes into account Key
Business Unit, Bottler and Customer stakeholders.
- Working alongside key stakeholders to develop a segmented execution
strategy to be implemented throughout diverse business units.
- Maximising profitability across the current and future brand, pack and
channel portfolios, and promoting a long-term / future forward outlook.
- Leading and inspiring the Franchise in introducing and scaling segmented
execution as a way of measuring the Customer & Commercial Leadership
strategy.
- Driving competitive advantage and speed to market at an outlet level,
through strategic deployment of RGM to support continuous
performance improvement and accelerate growth in business results.
­ Product Lifecycle
­ Profit & Loss Management
­ Risk Management
­ Vendor Management
­ Financial Management
[Forecasting / Budgets]
­ Stakeholder Relationship
Management
­ Strategic Alliances
­ Consensus Building
­ Team Leadership
­ HR Management
COCA-COLA - PROF. EXP.:
[Prior Designations
Synopsis]
­ January 2011 to April 2013;
Head of Traditional Trade
Channel - Customer &
Commercial Function
­ June 2009 to December
2010; Franchise Operations
Marketing & Integration
Manager
­ May 2007 to May 2009;
Business Unit Strategic
Marketing Manager -
Sparkling Flavours Portfolio
­ April 2005 to April 2007;
Division Strategic Marketing
Manager - Juices Portfolio
­ January 2003 to March
2005; New Brand
Development Manager -
STILLS Beverages

3. - Upholding revenue growth, while simultaneously developing share of
value, share of volume and securing a fundamental competitive
advantage.
- Designing, analysing and employing opportunity and revenue maps to
integrate customer purchase behaviour and competitive analysis into
consumer understanding, as well as prioritise opportunities.
- Developing the Occasion Brand Pack Price Channel Architecture,
including; Current and future brand portfolio specifics, Individual brand
footprints, Consumer needs / requirements and pack roles from both a
TCCC system and consumer point of view.
- Providing input into annual price increase decisions, analysing price
demand curves by pack using the Coca-Cola brand to normalise data.
- Interrogating CBL data to segment consumers into natural clusters, and
aligning consumer clusters within the Consumer Marketing Department in
order to maximise communication strategies.
- Developing strategy and programs to increase profitable consumption,
with particular emphasis on immediate consumption, paying specific
attention to the development of optimised brand and pack mix.
- Ensuring that the strategy takes into account new pack innovation and its
impact on; production capability, capacity, capex requirements and ROIC.
- Identifying top profitable consumption occasions by channel and ensuring
effective brand communication / channel exploitation.
- Leveraging all shopper related insights in order to exploit shopping
missions and maximise system value.
- Ensuring that global best practice is effectively communicated /
implemented to manage risk and impact on business activities.
- Anticipating opportunities and executing approaches that maximise
benefits of the same. Utilising financial insight to make principle based
strategic decisions which benefit the Division.
- Building stakeholder commitment to the Annual Marketing Plan and
overseeing proper execution of activities in line with planning and TCCC
standards.
- Directing and auditing the performance of marketing personnel;
upholding succession planning and developing the capacity of the team
across all areas of the marketing mix.
Comprehensive version CV available upon request
FORMER EMPLOYMENT
SYNOPSIS:
­ EMI Music Southern Africa
[June 2000 to December
2002]
˙ Sales Function Head
˙ Regional Sales Manager
­ National Brands Limited /
Anglo Vaal Industries
[January 1992 to May
2000]
˙ Marketing Manager for
Coffees & Creamers in
the Beverages Division
˙ Senior Brand Manager
for Coffees & Creamers
in the Beverages Division
˙ Brand Manager for
Coffees & Creamers in
the Beverages Division
˙ Brand Manager in the
Biscuits Division
˙ Junior Brand Manager in
the Biscuits Division
˙ Assistant Brand
Manager in the Biscuits
Division
˙ Marketing Assistant in
the Biscuits Division
˙ Management Trainee |
Merchandising | Sales
Representative | Key
Accounts