New leadership for Consumer Goods Council of SA

PICK n Pay chairman Gareth Ackerman and Therese Gearhart, president of the South Africa Business Unit of the Coca-Cola Company, have taken over the reins of the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa.

The announcement was made yesterday by the council, the representative body of the consumer goods industry, which was established in 2002 and has more than 12 000 member companies.

The council facilitates engagement between stakeholders in the industry and represents the interests of the sector to the government and other stakeholders.

Gwarega Mangozhe, chief executive of the council, said the nominations committee had considered the recommendations made to it and that Ackerman and Gearhart would take over as co-chairs from this month.

They succeed Grant Pattison, the former chief executive of Massmart, and Sullivan O’Carroll, the chairman and managing director of Nestlé South Africa.

Mangozhe said Pattison and O’Carroll did “a superb job” in a year of significant activity in the retail sector.

“We’d like to thank them for their role in developing the council as a credible consumer-facing and issues-based consumer packaged goods industry association. In Therese Gearhart we have an established professional with 25 years of international experience in general management, marketing and sales, and who now heads up the Southern African operation of one of the world’s most valuable brands.

“Gareth Ackerman brings wide-ranging local and international experience and is chairman of one of South Africa’s most admired and respected companies, acting also as vice co-chair of the global Consumer Goods Forum.”