ZAMBEEF CEO SCOOPS TOP AFRICAN AWARD

Zambeef Products has been acknowledged as being managed by one of the best business leaders on the African continent.

Zambeef CEO Francis Grogan, winner of the Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 accolade at the All Africa Business Leaders Awards (AABLA) ceremony.

The company’s Chief Executive Officer Francis Grogan was yesterday (November 9) awarded the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year 2013 accolade at the All Africa Business Leaders Awards (AABLA) ceremony in Durban.

The award, sponsored by CNBC Africa, ABN Productions and Forbes Africa, pays tribute to captains of industry who have made a vast difference to the companies, industries and communities they serve.

But a humbled Mr Grogan dedicated the award to Zambeef’s loyal customers, stakeholders, suppliers and hard-working workforce and insisted that the success of the company was due to teamwork and a strong enabling environment in Zambia,

“No one person can claim credit for the success of the US$300 million food processing and agribusiness conglomerate that Zambeef has become. It’s about teamwork. This award is for por stakeholders; my fellow directors; our committed investors; our 5,500 dedicated staff; and our loyal customers,” said Mr Grogan at the ceremony, attended by business leaders and dignitaries from throughout Africa.

“It is a real thrill for all of us that a home-grown Zambian company such as Zambeef has been recognised across the continent,” he added.

As winner of the Southern African title, Mr Grogan faced competition from nominees across Africa in the continent-wide finale, including the winner of the West Africa Entrepreneur of the Year award Sim Shagaya, founder and Chief Executive Office of Konga.com in Nigeria, and East Africa winner Peter Nduati, who is Chief Executive Officer of Resolution Health in Kenya.

The All Africa Business Leaders Awards is the premier business awards on the continent. The vision for AABLA is to identify and honour those leaders who are making a difference through innovation and inspiration in their industry sectors.

The judging panel included Gideon Badagawa, Executive Director of the Private Sector Foundation in Uganda, mechanical engineer and business coach Mary WacekeMuia, George Njenga, Dean of Strathmore Business School, and Clare Akamanzi, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board.

“Zambeef is the epitome of a successful African enterprise. Francis Grogan and his team have built the company from scratch over the last 20 years into a flourishing business that continues to grow and innovate,” said CNBC Africa Business Development Manager for Zambia, Debbie Baillie. “We are proud that the company has now brought the All Africa Business Leaders Awards to Zambia and put the country squarely on the map as an investment destination.”

Mr Grogan also attributed Zambeef’s success to Zambia’s macro-economic stability, pointing to the strong GDP growth resulting in rising consumer demand, single-digit inflation, stable exchange rates and reducing interest rates.

And he emphasised that managing a company such as Zambeef was about teamwork and he praised the company’s 5,500 staff and managers for their professionalism, adding that Zambeef is a local company established in Zambia 20 years ago that grew from humble beginnings into a household name that touches the lives of everyone in the country.

Zambeef has its origins in 1994 when Mr Grogan and Zambian partner Carl Irwin began building the company from a small butchery business with 60 employees into a K1.6 billion food processing and agribusiness conglomerate that is now listed on the London and Lusaka stock exchanges.

The group’s net assets grew more than 15-fold from K52 million when listing in 2003 to K807 million in 2012, and turnover increased from K165 million to K1,554 million over the a period.

Zambeef’s vision is to be the most accessible and affordable quality protein provider in the region. Its vertically integrated operation produces, processes and sells beef, chicken, pork, milk, dairy products, eggs, edible oils, stock feed, flour and bread. It has 118 retail outlets and three wholesale outlets across Zambia.

The company grows approximately 8,350 hectares of maize, soya beans and wheat under irrigation, with a further 8,650 hectares of rain-fed/dry-land crops available for planting each year.

It slaughters more than 80,000 beef cattle and 6 million chickens, and processes 8 million litres of milk per year.

The company is also rolling out its West Africa expansion in Nigeria and Ghana, as well as developing a palm project in Zambia.

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