LEADERSHIP EXCEEDING
LEADERSHIP EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS AND CREATING OPPORTUNITIES Seeing decisions materialise into tangible results is what drives Richard Willington, the newly appointed General Manager of the Coastal Region, Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA). Can you share your journey at CCBSA and how your career path led you to where you are today? I've been fortunate to work at CCBSA for nearly 25 years, starting in December 1999. Over the years, I held various logistics roles until 2009 before becoming the District Manager for KZN Central. My journey has involved leading strategic projects, for example rolling out SAP, the Affordable strategy and MSD365. Now, as General Manager of the Coastal Region, I’m excited to face new challenges and help our team achieve our business goals. What is your main responsibility in your current role? Complete the sentence: "Come to me for..." My role as General Manager is to ensure that our region exceeds business plans in both volume and revenue. I'm here to support our teams, making sure they understand our objectives and have the tools needed to succeed. Simply put: "Come to me for support in achieving our business goals." What motivates you to excel in your role every day? I’m naturally competitive and good results motivate me. It’s all about building momentum. Each small win adds to the bigger picture and keeps the energy going. Seeing the outcomes of our decisions materialise into tangible results is what drives me every day. How do you approach leadership within your team or department? Are there specific values or principles that guide your leadership style? Honesty and integrity are the core of my leadership style. I believe in making sure everyone understands our goals and aim to provide my team with the tools and support they need to succeed. I also value giving my direct reports the space to lead their teams while ensuring alignment with our common objectives. What have been some key milestones or achievements in your career that you're particularly proud of? I’m particularly proud of winning the inaugural District of the Year award at the first CCBA Conference after the amalgamation. But above all, seeing people I've mentored rise to senior positions and being able to support my family’s growth are achievements I hold close to my heart. “The team always comes first, before any individual desires or results.” Richard Willington’s personal motto. Who are you outside of work? Outside of work, I have a passion for golf and surfing, which I started five years ago. I also serve as the Vice Chairman of the Lotus Seven Car Club of Natal, where I enjoy tinkering with cars and participating in our monthly breakfast runs. Family is my priority. I'm doing my best to develop my children and spend quality time with them before they leave the nest. Being a good husband is also a role I take very seriously. The traditional festive season is obviously a busy period for CCBSA Coastal. How do you prepare to ensure customers don’t run out of stock during this period? Demand for our product really spikes during the festive season when the coastal region of our country sees a huge increase in visitors as well as people returning to their families. It is important to use all opportunities to try to get ahead and stay ahead of any extraordinary demand. When preparing for the festive season, we use a few key enablers to keep customers in stock throughout our busiest period. We work together as a team to ensure that we meet our customers’ needs. This includes deploying additional delivery capacity to ensure we keep up with the number of orders coming through. It is really important that our key operational functions work hand in hand 28 | www.opportunityonline.co.za
Leadership profile: Coastal Region GM at CCBSA With a career at Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) that spans over two decades, Richard Willington, the newly appointed General Manager of the Coastal Region, is a leader who thrives on challenges, values integrity and believes in the power of teamwork. His leadership journey reflects dedication, adaptability and a clear vision for growth. over this period, and that any insights into customer demand changes result in adjustments to our forecasting. We also increase deliveries over the weekends as well as approaching customers to stay open later during the week to receive our products. What does success look like for you? Success is exceeding the business’s expectations and doing so in a way that is enjoyable for everyone involved. Success also means creating opportunities for growth within our region so that everyone benefits. This speaks to our purpose of refreshing South Africa every day and making our country a better place for all.
