Nestlé Zim names Rifat new MD

NDAMU SANDU

The world’s largest food and beverages company, Nestlé, has appointed Asim Rifat as MD for its Zimbabwe unit in an expanded role that will see the executive managing a cluster with six countries.

The Zimbabwean unit has been without a substantive MD since Eunice Ganyawu-Magwali left with effect from August. Rifat, then business executive officer for the East and Southern Africa region, was at the helm in an acting capacity until November when he took over the reins in a substantive role.

Rifat is also the cluster manager for the newly-created Greater Zambezi Region, which includes Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Madagascar, and Comoros.

The Greater Zambezi Cluster is part of a larger group of 23 nations known as the East and Southern African Region.

As Business Executive Officer for the East and Southern African Region,  Rifat oversaw the business operations of 18 countries in the region.

The Pakistan-born executive has vast expertise in both the FMCG and pharmaceutical industries.

His career with Nestlé extends over 16 years, with numerous leadership responsibilities in countries in the Middle East as well as East and Southern Africa and Pakistan.

In 2005, he started his Nestlé career as a Brand Manager and then moved to role of Field Operations Manager for Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Rifat was promoted to Group Product Manager – Infant Nutrition for Nestlé Middle East in 2009, where he oversaw Middle East Infant Nutrition Marketing.

In this job, he oversaw creating and implementing an integrated set of branding and marketing concepts, plans, and strategies that were in line with the company’s overall aims and objectives, Nestle said.

He oversaw the infant nutrition business in Saudi Arabia as the General Operations Manager – Infant Nutrition in 2012, and then moved on to become the Country Business Manager for Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he was responsible for Maternal and Infant Nutrition across the value chain.

He took over the role of Business Executive Officer Nutrition for South Africa in 2017, which was then expanded to cover Nutrition business operations for the East and Southern Africa Region in 2018.

Before joining Nestlé, he worked in Pakistan’s pharmaceutical business, overseeing commercial activities.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in medicine as well as a master’s degree in business administration from Lahore University of Management Sciences in Lahore, Pakistan.

The appointment of Rifat to head Nestlé Zimbabwe comes as the food and beverages concern has pledged continue its support to small scale dairy farmers for steady supplies of milk for production.

In 2011, the firm launched the Nestlé Dairy Empowerment Scheme targeting commercial farmers.

It was expanded in 2015 to small scale farmers around a commercial farmer for knowledge transfer.

Under the hub and scope model, three hubs have been created in Chitomborwizi, Watershed and Marondera.