Danone Southern Africa appoints Herve Orama Barrere as its Managing Director

Food business, Danone Southern Africa has appointed Hervé Orama Barrere as its new managing director, effective as of 1 January 2023.

Danone, which is the biggest producer of yoghurt in the country, said that during the 17 years that it has been operating in South Africa, consumer preference for its products “has propelled Danone to the number one position in the market”.

Based on that, Barrere, a new appointee will be responsible for the continued success and growth of Danone Southern Africa and its full brand portfolio including NutriDay, Ultra Mel, Yogi Sip, Inkomazi, DanUp and more recently Alpro, a plant-based portfolio.

Building brands in Africa

Barrere brings with him a wealth of operational and leadership expertise, having led the Danone Nigeria business as the managing director in 2017, as well as in Algeria in 2019.

During his time with Danone previously, he established solid retail foundations for a more sustainable and profitable business for the Early Life Nutrition and Essential Dairy Products categories across the African regions assigned to him.

According to Danone, Barrere is no stranger to business on the African continent, with rich insights, experience and on-the-ground knowledge of building brands in Africa – having worked across the Congos and Central Africa regions.

“We believe that his expertise across African markets as a strategic and skilled managing director, both within Danone and through his previous roles, is sure to continue driving and building a sustainable and successful business for Danone both in Southern Africa and across the African region,” said Kid Nkantsu, operations director at Danone Southern Africa.

Barrere commented, “At Danone, we believe in a sustainable business model where profit and planet are interconnected. In 2023 we will aim to reinforce our market position and continue to bring health to more South Africans, through food.”