By Emmy Hashakimana
Africa-Press – Uganda. The phrase “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” is often quoted by writers, consultants and organisational culture experts. As I settled into my role at the helm of Coca-Cola Beverages Uganda (CCBU), I found this statement both true and profound. Strategies change, markets shift, regulations evolve and competition grows—but culture endures.
At CCBU, our culture is anchored in agility, passion, discipline and a deep commitment to community. These values shape how we deliver value to our consumers, partners and the communities we serve.
When I joined CCBU, a company within the Coca-Cola Beverages Africa group, in August, I was convinced that great companies are built not only on strong products, but on people; not just on profits, but on purpose; and not only on ambition, but on performance grounded in principle.
In my first weeks, I visited our plants, walked through markets, met our sales teams and distributors, and engaged with staff at every level. I was struck by how closely our work connects to real lives—the families, aspirations and daily challenges of the people who make our business possible.
This is why, at CCBU, we are committed to unparalleled professional growth for our people. We provide an exciting journey of learning and development within a passionate and caring team. Together, we deliver our much-loved portfolio across Sparkling Soft Drinks, Juices, Water and Energy categories, while making a positive impact on communities and achieving market success.
We are clear about how we want to show up and grow as a business, and it begins with embracing a growth mindset. We continuously raise the bar on what is possible, cultivating a high-performance culture that always puts customers first.
We collaborate for impact—working as one team, embracing our differences, and committing fully to the decisions we make. We act with integrity, doing what is right, playing by the rules, and building trust for the long term.
Across Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, we invest in developing skills to create a sustainable pipeline of talent that meets both our future needs and those of the countries in which we operate. This starts with nurturing and retaining the skills we already have, while strengthening our high-performance culture.
However, people and goodwill alone are not enough. In a fast-changing economy marked by intense competition, supply chain pressures, rising costs and increasing expectations from consumers and partners, performance is essential.
CCBU is a customer-obsessed, digitally enabled and growth-driven business. We strive for excellence across our entire value chain and partner closely with our customers to grow together.
Our ambition is to inspire excellence and set the standard as Uganda’s most respected and admired company—driving growth, innovation and impact in fulfilment of our vision to refresh Uganda and create shared value.
We are dedicated to delivering exceptional service and creating value at every touchpoint of our business. Through service excellence and end-to-end customer centricity, we help our customers succeed with leading in-trade execution and best-in-class distribution.
In Uganda, business is an integral part of society. At CCBU, we aim to create shared value for our business and the communities we call home. Our approach is fundamentally local—we produce locally, distribute locally and, wherever possible, source locally.
Our aspiration is not only to reflect the diversity of the communities in which we operate, but also to lead and advocate for a better shared future.
People are at the centre of everything we do—from our employees and partners to the communities we serve. Community involvement enables us to drive positive, measurable change, strengthening both our business and society.
Ultimately, true success is measured not just in volume, but in trust earned, lives supported and communities uplifted.
The writer is the Managing Director, Coca-Cola Beverages Uganda
Source: Nilepost News
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