Cadbury South Africa has announced the appointment of Geoff Whyte as their new group marketing director.
With over 12 years experience in the marketing and fast moving consumer goods arena, Geoff brings with him not only extensive knowledge and expertise but also a passion for the industry.
Cadbury is a global giant in the chocolate, sugar and beverage sectors, selling its products in over 200 countries worldwide, on every continent. Cadbury is also the number one confectionery and chewing gum company in South Africa with nearly 50 'household name' brands in its stable.
Born in Scotland, Geoff completed his Masters Degree in Economics at the University of Aberdeen before joining Exxon-Mobil working first as an economist in London before progressing into senior sales and marketing roles. Geoff was then headhunted by PepsiCo as marketing manager for its UK and Ireland KFC business before being promoted to marketing director for Southern Africa in 1998. At KFC, Geoff masterminded a turnaround programme that took the brand from years of decline into sustained record growth. This involved every aspect of the marketing mix from introducing the first national menu at uniform prices to re-imaging every store.
After a short stint as PepsiCo's European business development director, Geoff joined Unilever as managing director of their UK foodservice/out of home business. Then, after the company acquired their global rival Bestfoods in 2000, he was promoted to category director for Unilever Europe based in Rotterdam.
Geoff then joined SAB-Miller, initially working on marketing strategies for the company's South African and North American businesses before being appointed as brand marketing manager for South Africa.
During his time with SAB-Miller, Geoff's work on iconic brands like Carling Black Label, Castle Lager and Hansa Pilsener was recognised with a slew of local and international awards -including two Clios and a Hugo for the groundbreaking Castle Lager campaign.
Geoff also drove the highly successful re-design of packaging for the Castle Lager, Hansa Pilsener and Castle Milk Stout brands as well as overhauling media strategy and buying for the organisation.
