September 1 – Logistics wizard Flora Jika will be taking the helm at Voltic (GH) Limited, a subsidiary of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, following her appointment as the new MD, taking over from Simon Everest, who is retiring at the end of December.
Flora hails from a mining engineering background, but changed track in 2008, when she joined the Coca-Cola system as a depot manager in Wadeville, South Africa. Her career since then has been marked by pioneering achievements, starting with the Wadeville facility winning ‘Depot of the Year’ in its first full financial year of operation.
She has risen through the ranks at CCBSA, serving as Logistics Manager, Strategy and Warehousing from 2014, until 2018, when she was appointed Logistics Director. Flora has made an invaluable contribution to the logistics strategy and is an accomplished leader.
She has spearheaded several projects for Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA), including the implementation of the first 30 metre truck/trailer combination in the FMCG industry in South Africa. Most recently, she has been working on a project aimed at reducing freight on the roads and moving it to rail. Once completed, the project will result in reduced trucks on the road and improved safety.
She holds an undergraduate and a post-graduate degree in the Mining Engineering and Industrial Engineering fields respectively, from Wits University in Johannesburg.
Flora says that she is looking forward to working with the team in Ghana and enjoying the social culture.
Flora is passionate about helping women to grow and feels it is vital to have structures in place to keep women engaged as they rise up the ranks. This includes allocating mentors to female employees, encouraging conversations between women, and sharing ideas about how to manage family and work commitments.
ENDS