Sales representatives up their skills with training from Coca-Cola Beverages Africa

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Over 400 Distributor Sales Representatives, including drivers, who form part of the Coca-Cola distribution network, are upgrading their sales and customer service skills through a training programme provided by Coca-Cola Beverages Africa (CCBA) in Ethiopia. 

The participants, employed by official Coca-Cola distributors, are receiving training in basic sales techniques, effective communication, customer service, product knowledge, the order process and workplace safety, with the aim of enhancing customer service and their sales skills. Participants will receive a certificate upon completing the one-day training sessions, which are expected to conclude in September 2025.  

The training is being provided by CCBA in cities across the country, including Addis Ababa, Wolayta, Hawassa, Adama, Arba Minch, Dire Dawa, Bahir Dar, Dessie, and Mekelle.  

“For CCBA, partnering with customers for growth means understanding and prioritising the needs of retailers and consumers by delivering value beyond selling beverages. This aligns with our goal of becoming the most consumer-centric and customer-driven authorised Coca-Cola bottler in Africa,” said Managing Director at CCBA in Ethiopia, Melkamu Abebe. 

“For CCBA, partnering with customers involves execution that reflects the unique needs of different market segments across Africa by ensuring product availability at the right time, in the right place, and at the right price. We achieve this by leveraging data and analytics to anticipate customer demand and preferences,” he explained.   

“It is also about delivering value beyond the product by providing best-in-class service to retail partners and helping customers to grow their businesses through insights, promotions, and tailored support,” Abebe concluded. 

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Frank O’Donnell

Chief Commercial and Customer Officer, CCBA

Frank leads CCBA’s commercial agenda, with responsibility for accelerating revenue growth, strengthening route to market and customer partnerships and driving execution excellence across markets.

Frank brings extensive international experience from Coca‑Cola HBC, where he held a range of senior commercial and general management roles. Most recently, he served as Region Director, overseeing 13 markets across Europe, where he led high-performing teams and delivered strong business results.

He is recognised for his strong commercial acumen, customer focus and track record in building high-performing teams across diverse markets.

Gerald Lewis

Chief Information Officer, CCBA

Gerald leads CCBA’s digital, data and technology agenda, focusing on enabling business performance through scalable platforms and enhanced digital capabilities.  Gerald brings extensive international experience, most recently as Head of Technology Strategy & Operations at Coca‑Cola HBC. He has also held senior CIO roles at Bacardi across Africa, the Middle East and Asia, as well as transformation roles at GlaxoSmithKline and Mettler Toledo. He is recognised for translating technology strategy into business value and for leading transformation across emerging markets.

Matthew Welz

General Counsel and Company Secretary, CCBA

Matthew joined us from the Clicks Group, a JSE Top-40 company, where he has been the Head of Legal and Company Secretary since 2016. In this role Matthew successfully navigated a highly regulated environment, including overseeing compliance with company laws and the JSE Listings Requirements. As company secretary, he managed governance at Board level as well as being the Chairman’s chief of staff. Prior to this, Matthew was a Legal Manager with Anglo American, a major multinational diversified mining group, which includes three companies listed on the JSE, with extensive operations across Southern Africa.

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