BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO - SA
AFRICA
Sometimes our products have to go out by sea into Europe in order to then get back to Africa !
“ This is just part of doing business on the continent and is factored into the cost of production . Planning is critical , understanding the market and understanding the culture of the markets that we go into is therefore essential .
“ We need to plan how we manage our inventory , how we manage logistical lead times and how we work with different currencies to handle the volatility that exists in our business environment . We have global systems in place ; we have dedicated people who understand the terrain , and we have systems that help us to predict and plan our logistics . Speed to market and availability of stock to our customers and consumers are our crucial logistical concerns in this regard .
“ We work with third Partly Logistics companies across Africa who know the terrain , especially in terms of Port operations , road transport , and they move the majority of our stock for us . We work with the right partners to get our product to where we want it to be .”
Growing responsibly Across its global operations , BAT seeks to operate in a way that not only directly create value for its shareholders , but also those stakeholders involved with its operations indirectly , particularly the communities it works in , both socially and environmentally . By factoring this into its business model , the company has received
Key Personnel
Brian Finch Managing Director
Brian Finch was appointed as the Managing Director of BAT Southern African Area in April 2010 following a stint as Head of Marketing for BAT ’ s Africa Middle East Region .
He began his career at BAT more than 20 years ago and has occupied several marketing roles at different levels in seven countries , including Congo , Zimbabwe , the UK and Switzerland . One of Brian ’ s secrets of success is to try to turn bad into good , and challenges into opportunities .
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