Danone's Lungile Mbatha talks commercial leadership, AI and consumer changes

Lungile Mbatha, head of commercial strategy and planning at Danone Southern Africa. Image supplied

As head of commercial strategy and planning at Danone Southern Africa, Mbatha has spent 21 years building a career at the intersection of consumer understanding, business performance and long-term value creation.

Her journey has taken her from customer-facing roles into category strategy and, ultimately, into commercial leadership, where she has learned to look beyond what is happening on the shelf today to understand what could shape the business tomorrow.

“I enjoy being able to empower customer-facing teams with stories that go beyond the price of the product on the shelf today,” she says. “It is about answering the bigger ‘why’ behind our products, and how they meaningfully meet consumer needs.”

That perspective has shaped the way Mbatha approaches leadership.

Commercial strategy, she believes, requires more than interpreting data or delivering business results. It requires humility, listening, systemic thinking and an ability to understand the needs of the business alongside those of its partners and consumers.

For Mbatha, the most effective decisions are therefore holistic ones; decisions that create commercial value while recognising the people and partnerships that sit behind them.

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Building a career around the bigger picture

Mbatha's move into category strategy was a turning point in her career. Having started in customer-facing positions, she discovered that strategic work gave her an opportunity to combine commercial delivery with forward-looking thinking.

That ability to look ahead has become increasingly important as South Africa's consumers, retail environment and technology landscape continue to change.

Over the past 15 years, she has seen major shifts driven by urbanisation, income changes and demographic evolution. But perhaps the most significant transformation has been the rapid adoption of technology across both urban and rural communities.

Technology is no longer simply changing how consumers shop. It is influencing how they make decisions, build routines and interact with brands.

For businesses, Mbatha argues, this creates a need for constant curiosity.

Companies need to continually ask whether they are still speaking to the same consumer, whether consumer mindsets have shifted, and whether the way people define categories and alternatives has changed.

This is particularly important in categories influenced by trends, hype and rapidly changing consumer behaviour. Businesses need the agility to respond quickly – and sometimes to exit just as quickly.

“Clear priorities allow the business to focus its resources and give those priorities the best chance of succeeding,” she says.

That can also mean working with smaller, more agile businesses and partners capable of responding to emerging opportunities faster than larger organisations.

Women and the changing face of commercial leadership

Women's representation in commercial leadership has changed significantly during Mbatha's career.

More women are now leading sales organisations, commercial functions, retail channels and business units, moving beyond the areas where female representation has traditionally been stronger, such as marketing and communications.

But she believes the work is far from finished.

Women remain underrepresented at some executive and critical decision-making tables, while pivotal life stages can still see talented women stepping away from leadership pathways.

The answer, she argues, requires more than simply encouraging women to aspire to senior roles. Organisations need practical structures that enable women to remain and progress in those environments, including flexibility, mentorship, sponsorship and meaningful support.

Leadership pipelines also need to be developed intentionally.

“Gender diversity at the top does not happen by chance,” Mbatha says, pointing to the importance of identifying gaps, developing female talent early and creating clear pathways for progression before senior positions become available.

For her, building future leadership is ultimately about creating stronger organisations – not simply meeting a diversity target.

Finding the stories behind the numbers

Commercial strategy may be grounded in data, but Mbatha believes the numbers are only the beginning.

“For me, it is about understanding the stories in the numbers – the potential they reveal and, sometimes, the crisis they are signalling,” she says.

The human element comes from understanding the context behind the data: the experiences of consumers, the dynamics of partnerships and the systems in which businesses operate.

It also requires empathy.

Commercial decisions affect relationships as much as they affect spreadsheets, and understanding those relationships can help businesses develop solutions that create mutual value.

That combination of analytical thinking, human insight and creativity is becoming increasingly important as businesses navigate more complex consumer and retail environments.

AI could help level the playing field

Technology is also creating what Mbatha sees as an important opportunity for women in business.

Artificial intelligence and digital transformation are changing how organisations operate, but unlike some previous technological shifts, businesses and employees are still learning how to navigate the changes in real time.

“No one has a significant head start,” she says.

That creates an opportunity for women to be active participants in shaping the next generation of retail, consumer engagement and business models.

At Danone, this is reflected in Women's Month initiatives that include AI training for women across the organisation, from executives through to factory employees.

For Mbatha, the objective goes beyond digital literacy. It is about giving women the confidence and capabilities to use emerging technology to create, co-create and reimagine opportunities.

The potential becomes even greater when combined with women's existing understanding of household purchasing decisions and consumer needs.

Women remain key decision-makers in many South African households, giving them valuable insights into consumption, communities and everyday purchasing behaviour. Combining that understanding with technology and data could put women in a powerful position to influence the future of commerce.

“I believe the organisations that invest in equipping women with the skills, confidence, and tools to lead this [diigital] transformation will be the ones that unlock the greatest innovation and long-term growth,” she says.

Leadership means being ready to learn

For women questioning whether they are ready to take the next step, Mbatha's advice is straightforward: nobody is ever completely ready.

She compares leadership to some of life's biggest responsibilities. People rarely feel completely prepared for parenting, for example, but learn through experience, mistakes and the support of a community around them.

Leadership is no different.

Mbatha believes women should build communities of advisers who can challenge them, provide perspective, help them course-correct and celebrate their progress.

“Surround yourself with people who are unafraid to tell you the truth and hold you to account, but who are equally generous with compliments and celebrating the small and big milestones along the way,” she says.

That emphasis on community extends to mentorship, which Mbatha believes needs to evolve alongside the workplace.

Traditional mentorship often assumes that knowledge flows from senior leaders to less experienced employees. But rapid technological change means that younger employees can possess knowledge and perspectives that more experienced leaders need to understand.

As a result, peer-to-peer, junior-to-senior and experienced-to-junior mentorship can all play a role.

For Mbatha, leadership development is therefore about creating a network of diverse skills, perspectives and experiences rather than relying on a single direction of learning.

,h2>Building brands that remain relevant

The same principle of understanding people applies to brands.

As South African consumers become increasingly value-conscious, Mbatha believes the strongest brands will be those that understand that value is not static.

“Money comes and goes – it is the circle of life,” she says. Great brands, in her view, understand how to remain relevant throughout a consumer's lifetime and recognise that what people consider valuable changes at different stages of their lives.

The abundance of consumer data available today creates both an opportunity and an expectation.

Consumers increasingly expect brands to understand who they are, what they need and what represents value to them. Simply placing a product in front of a shopper is no longer enough.

Brands need to be present in the conversations that matter, easy to discover when consumers are searching and capable of creating a seamless journey from awareness to trial and consumption.

Ultimately, relevance becomes a competitive advantage.

A bigger definition of commercial success

For Mbatha, however, commercial leadership cannot end with revenue.

Her ambition is to leave behind people who believe they can have an impact – not only in their workplaces but in the societies around them.

She is particularly passionate about the idea that leaders have a responsibility to build other leaders and to create businesses capable of generating value well into the future.

One question she regularly asks her teams captures that philosophy: When you leave this business, will there still be consumers who can buy the product?

It is a deceptively simple question, but one that forces leaders to think beyond the immediate commercial cycle.

Product decisions, pricing, growth strategies, people development and job creation all have consequences beyond the organisation.

For Mbatha, sustainable commercial leadership means understanding those connections.

“The continuity of businesses is one of the things that helps build sustainable economies and societies,” she says.

That, ultimately, is the bigger calling she sees in commercial leadership: connecting revenue with people, growth with sustainability and business performance with a wider social contribution.

Her advice to young women entering business is therefore not simply to pursue leadership.

Build the commercial skills to lead. Stay curious. Surround yourself with people who will challenge and support you. Embrace new technology rather than waiting for certainty. And, above all, consider the impact of the organisation and the work you choose to build your career around.

For Mbatha, that broader purpose is part of what makes her current role at Danone particularly meaningful.

Its mission of bringing health through food aligns with her own belief that businesses have a responsibility that extends beyond the products they sell.

The measure of leadership, she suggests, is not only what a leader delivers today, but whether they leave behind a healthier business, stronger people and a future in which both can continue to thrive.