New MD for engage

He started his career managing retail stores and then headed up category management for OK Bazaars and Hyperama in the early nineties. Later he moved to the brand and manufacturer side heading up channel, category and shopper for leading FMCG brands such as Bakers, Pyotts, Willards, Five Roses, Frisco, Ciro and House of Coffees.

"Eight years ago, I launched one of the first shopper marketing companies in Africa. A couple of years later I merged with Jason Frichol's offering to service his own brands and others brands such as Duracell, Pringles, Appletiser, Dulux, Distell, Wal-Mart, Tiger Brands, Old Spice and Canderel, to name a few. One of the key factors behind the success of the portfolio was the c-suite adoption (top-down) and team training and development. To this day, this probably remains the biggest deficit in Africa and the greatest opportunity for consumer packaged goods companies on our continent," says Beukes.

"Many shopper insights and strategies fail to actualise their full potential, due to skills gaps and organisational disparity. It is for this very reason that the company's organisational development and training platforms are paramount in a highly pressurised sector."

Mike Anthony, CEO and founder of engage concludes, "Etienne brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge, particularly with the application of marketing and sales training and development solutions. The challenge to upskill shopper marketing in companies and their employees is a global one and we're looking forward to taking our unique offering across Africa."