Danone Southern Africa appoints 2 new female directors

Jessica Munsami, newly appointed as the Quality and Food Safety director at Danone Southern Africa. Images supplied

Jessica Munsami has been appointed as the Quality and Food Safety director, a newly created role within the organisation, to oversee product excellence across all countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Meanwhile, Nosiseko (Nosi) Biko steps up as the Cycles & Procurement director for Sub-Saharan Africa, responsible for sourcing and supplier development for all raw materials, packaging, milk procurement, and indirect spend, including co-manufacturing.

Nosiseko (Nosi) Biko, newly appointed Cycles & Procurement director at Danone Southern Africa. Image supplied

“As part of our impact journey, we are dedicated to fostering equality and creating growth opportunities, with a firm commitment to achieving gender balance in management, globally by 2030,” says Hercules Duvenage, HR director at Danone Southern Africa.

“Both newly appointed directors have a strong history with the brand and their commitment, and the lasting impact they have made has always been evident in their day-to-day operations. Jessica brings with her a wealth of experience functionally and in people development and leadership and Nosi’s inspiring and empathetic nature together with a clear focus on overcoming challenges and beating expectations is an asset to the cluster.”

Progress for women in leadership roles

While there is no doubt that much still needs to be done in creating strong opportunities for women to occupy leadership roles within all businesses globally, progress, no matter how small, is being seen.

“In fact, research indicates progress for women in senior management roles, in South Africa specifically, has been good, with a 9% increase in the number of female CEOs in 2024, rising from 30% to 39%. Within Danone Southern Africa, women now occupy 59% of leadership roles, which places us well within our goal of ensuring a far stronger focus on gender equity by 2030,” adds Duvenage.

"Having worked at Danone for 13 years, I have had a progressive career journey growing within the business, making my time here feel as fresh as if I joined the team yesterday. The diverse and exciting growth opportunities have kept me in a constant state of learning. This role marks an exciting chapter for me, as it allows me to collaborate with incredible people both locally and in Nigeria and Ghana, driving the growth of Danone in Africa,” says Biko.

Munsami adds: “I am ecstatic about the opportunity to make a lasting change, investing in our people and growing our iconic brands . Being a part of a Sub-Saharan role is a great opportunity to drive growth and development in people, as well learn new cultures that provide rich experiences. I look forward to making an impactful difference in elevating our Quality & Food Safety Culture so that it is lived by all in Danone..”

Danone South Africa has always aligned its goals with the Employment Equity Act and sought ways to ensure it is actively promoting equal opportunity and fair treatment in employment, while ensuring equitable representation across all occupational levels. As part of Danone’s Employee Value Proposition each employee is able to drive their own career journey with support from various development and training sources.

“We are very proud of both appointments which is testament to their worth and expertise as individuals and we are excited to see where their roles take them and the changes and impact they bring,” concludes Duvenage.