Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) has declared 2026 its “Year of the Customer,” a strategic focus brought to life this week as the company honoured its top-performing teams and country operations at its annual awards ceremony.
The ceremony marked the conclusion of a dynamic two-day Leadership Conference that brought together more than 100 senior leaders from across the continent to align on strategic priorities and strengthen execution across markets.
The conference was anchored on CCBA’s commitment to a customer-centric growth strategy, with leaders emphasising the importance of placing the customer at the centre of all operations.
The company highlighted the need to empower every employee whether in customer-facing roles or support functions to take ownership of the customer experience, noting that a unified, customer-first approach is critical to delivering superior value across its markets.
Addressing the leadership team, Sunil Gupta, CEO of CCBA, underscored the company’s strategic direction, saying success is directly tied to how well the business serves its customers.
He noted that in the “Year of the Customer,” the company is sharpening its focus on execution, innovation, and partnerships to ensure its products remain accessible and are consistently delivered with excellence. He added that the teams recognised during the awards are leading this mission on the ground.
The evening’s top honours reflected excellence in execution and market impact across different categories. Uganda received the Employer of Choice Award for building a strong, high-performance culture, while Malawi earned the Top Line Acceleration Award for outstanding revenue growth and commercial execution.
South Africa was recognised with the Customer Obsession Award for delivering a superior customer experience, while Kenya took home the Corporate Reputation Award for its commitment to safety, quality, and sustainability.
Malawi also secured the Building Enduring Economic Value Award for strong financial performance and was crowned overall winner of the CEO Award, the highest recognition, for demonstrating excellence across financial results, customer execution, operational delivery, and people leadership.
The Leadership Conference reaffirmed CCBA’s commitment to making customer-centricity the cornerstone of its growth strategy. The event concluded with a renewed emphasis on delivering value to customers as the company advances its ambition of becoming the most admired business in Africa.
