SOUTH AFRICA – Premier FMCG, one of South Africa’s leading and oldest consumer goods company has announced that its CEO Tjaart Kruger will be leaving the company at the end of March and hand over the reins to Kobus Gertenbach, Premier’s current CFO.
Tjaart joined Premier in 2011 and has more than 30 years of executive experience.
Prior to joining the manufacturing giant, he was the CEO of Afrox Ltd for 5 years and previously held executive positions with Tiger Brands in the pharmaceuticals and grains divisions as well as in Country Bird Holdings.
“The last 10 years at Premier FMCG have been the most fulfilling of my career. We have delivered on our vision of being the best by growing our people, customers, and brands. At the heart of our success has been The Premier Way – the way we lead our teams, inspire consistent high performance, and ultimately create a winning culture,” Tjaart reminisced his moments at the company.
“I have had fun and made lasting friendships with colleagues across the organisation. Kobus and I, together with the Executive team, have worked together for many years and are 100% aligned on what makes Premier a success. My thanks to all my colleagues for making my time at Premier truly memorable,” he added.
Kobus joined Premier in 2011 with more than 20 years’ experience in the financial industry.
Prior to joining the maker of Blue-Ribbon bread and Impala maize meal, He spent 6 years in the investment team at Brait and 7 years in restructuring, turnaround and consulting in the USA.
At its recent position as CFO, Kobus leads the finance, IT, legal, business intelligence, procurement and logistics functions at Premier.
“Kobus and I, together with the Executive team, have worked together for many years and are 100% aligned on what makes Premier a success.”
Premier FMCG CEO – Tjaart Kruger
Founded in 1820 with a rich history spanning 200 years, Premier has enjoyed an exciting new journey over the past few years following Brait acquiring a majority shareholding and a refocused strategy to broaden its footprint in the FMCG market.
The business has an annual turnover of R10 billion employing over 7 000 employees in various operations.
Premier operates 13 bakeries, 7 wheat mills, 3 maize mills and manufacturing plants across the region producing a broad range of sugar confectionery products, biscuits, animal feeds, pasta, mageu and feminine hygiene products.
These products are distributed to its customers via 21 distribution depots situated in South Africa, Eswatini, Mozambique and Lesotho. Premier also has a Lil-lets sales office situated in the UK.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s supermarket chain Pick n Pay is set to bid farewell to its CEO Richard Brasher, who will be retiring from the company effective April 21 after eight years at the helm.
Basher will be succeeded by Netherlands-born Pieter Boone, former Chief Operating Officer of German retailer Metro AG.
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