Strathmore University

Nakuru Boys High School

Summit Vine School

Category Planner (MRP) Foods & Refreshment @ Unilever East Africa

Unilever

Demand Planner - Nutrition

• Develop robust demand forecasts with sales, brand & finance teams in weekly - monthly S&OP cycles that input into P&L for >150 products across East Africa (KE/UG/RW/TZ). Challenge business for growth through incremental activities/strategies while pointing out risks and opportunities in the forecast.
• Run ROTW and ROTM by ensuring timely upload of baselines, events volumes, and history cleaning.
• Timely communication of baseline feedback to Plan Excellence Team.
• Forecast Accuracy of 70 % by driving stock availability and Forecast Bias ±5% total EA and ±3% for COTC by driving accountability and discipline in CCBT assumptions, risks, and opportunities.
• Drive 100% Demand planning in SAP by ensuring ALL live SKU's have forecast in the system, 100% DP Book master data integrity including first time right master data hygiene for innovations.
• Ensure all export markets outside East Africa have demand updated in SAP in good time to enable timely planning.
• Ensure all Innovations demand is signed off and updated in system prior to commencement of project.
• Weekly FA % FB report to be circulated and any deviations +/-10% to be investigated and rectified for all EA markets. 
• Drive month on month inventory closure as per glidepath at m-o-m through improved forecast accuracy and bias (< 10% of overall category IPM target).
• Monthly monitoring of waste levels and avenues to address the same in collaboration with warehouse teams.
• Maintain a month +1 frozen horizon to minimize changes in the production plan. 
• Ensure timely submission of management reports, escalations, and meeting attendance; CCBT Weekly operational meetings, S&OP meetings & weekly review meetings and monthly functional reviews.
• Influence the CCBT teams to adopt a business conscious forecast through cross functional stakeholder engagement.
• Attend innovations meetings, DP Ops meetings and planning excellence trainings.
• Ensure closure of all S&OP Audit points.

 Demand Planner - BWPC

Achievements

• Dispatch Rate: 100%, Output Reliability: 96%> supported by material availability for production consistently.
• Zero material outages, worked on mitigations where supply chains affected by Covid, feedstock challenges, vessels unavailability, cyber-attacks, political unrests in south markets resulting in destruction of production sites.
• Working capital €1.6mn across raw & pack materials supporting a €25mn annual revenue Foods business segment.
• Ensured resilience to avoid out of stock for the entire wrap category at backdrop of supply challenges, capacity constraint issues. Landed a resilience supplier across all SKUs without interrupting supply.
• Deliver on SKU rationalization / complexity reduction as per plan for SKUs which are gross margin bleeders.
• Supported landing of research & development cost saving initiatives. Localization of imported oil €0.6mn p.a., localization of wrap €0.4mn p.a., flavors savings (€0.2mn p.a.) and wrap spec changes (€0.5mn p.a.).
• Collaboration with suppliers on timely shipment of production materials ensured reduction of exceptional airfreight costs <€5k vs previous year of €25k.
• Raw & Pack materials (RMPM) SLOBS: 0.16 % vs 0.4% turnover target.
• Contribute to the team success by acting as the lead for weekly material risks reporting across all categories (Homecare,Personal Care,Foods & Refreshment).
• Corn Starch Resilience. Kenya was facing a supply crisis on corn starch originating from Pakistan given that inspection agencies certificates were not renewed. The shortage would materially impact Nutrition category. Demonstrated consumer love by looking for alternative material via traders, working with quality and R&D to test the product which passed. Further went ahead to source additional corn starch packed in jumbo bags and looked for a supplier to rebag in 50kg bags which the factory has capability to handle. Ensured we avoided out of stock for a 3-month period and through the 2022 Kenya General Election.

Category Planner (Materials Planning Specialist) Nutrition

• Ensure the availability of raw and pack materials in the supply chain for Foods & Refreshment category to meet finished goods production and support growth of purposeful brands Royco and Knorr.
• Schedule the supply of materials/components to meet production requirements and minimum safety stock levels.
• Develop, implement and evaluate processes for material delivery from supplier to point of fit.
• Assess volume requirements against planning assumptions.
• Day-to-day order management and management of deliveries.
• Understand and manage risks to minimize impact on production schedule.
• Take follow up actions in relation to material shortages that affect production.
• Implement all processes to agreed standards and targets and support continuous improvement initiatives and identify areas of improvement.
• Utilize Material Requirements Planning system (MRP) and ensure that data is accurate and up to date and resolve any issues as required.
• Monitor the integrity of the Bill of Materials (BOM) and manage inventory accuracy.
• Monitor inventory levels against agreed target levels.
• Create regular statistical reports and analysis and update others in the organization.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to forecast, plan and facilitate on-time materials to the production line as and when required, avoiding disruption to production.
• Generate and communicate supplier material delivery schedules and forecasts to ensure they reflect requirements and meet demands.
• Enhance system planning for both raw & pack materials. No Touch Purchase Order in SAP (85%), No Touch Purchase Requisition (70%) driven by material planning automation, contract coverage, master data hygienic checks & inventory planning model checks.
• Support timely landing of innovations, advise business team on rundown plans of existing stock before transition to eliminate any write offs. At the same time, support timely ordering of new raw & pack materials as per project network.

Category Planner (MRP) Foods & Refreshment

Ensure the availability of raw materials in the supply chain for Beauty & Personal Care category to meet finished goods production and support growth of purposeful brands Geisha, Lifebuoy, Lux and Vaseline.

Materials Planner (MRP) Beauty & Personal Care

• Release timely purchase requisitions and purchase orders through Oracle system: reduce internal processing time with accuracy to give more time to suppliers to manufacture and deploy network equipment.
• Create blanket purchase agreements through Oracle system for effective implementation of contracts and follow up with 14 operating countries till purchase orders are released to supplier.
• Analyze open purchase order capex amounts >6 months requiring review by procurement managers to action on goods delivery.
• Lead training and support for strategic vendors on using supplier’s portal to book invoices: reduce goods in transit and facilitate vendor payment.
• Ensure Goods in Transit for >60 days is actioned: coordinate operating countries to perform GRN in system and book commercial invoices.
• Track weekly reversal logistics for network modernization projects across 9 countries in Africa.
• Liaise with strategic partners to ensure steps to milestones for modernization projects are achieved; escalate dismantling bottlenecks to supply chain and network teams for quick resolution.
• Coordinate warehouses to share quarterly physical verification reports. Analyze shortages and excess for management action.
• Track repair and return for non-usable site return material & ensure delivery within service level agreement.
• Lead disposal of obsolete and end of life network equipment occupying large warehouse space and incurring additional storage costs.

Airtel Africa

Supply Chain Shared Services Assistant

Business Ireland Kenya (BIK) is an Irish – Kenyan Business Network that promotes growth in trade between Ireland & Kenya.
•Worked as the full-time secretariat of Business Ireland Kenya network, chaired by the Irish Ambassador at the Embassy of Ireland in Nairobi and supported the Steering Committee fully.
•Contributed to the publication of the 1st ‘BIK Guide to Doing Business in Kenya’ including generating content, managing the publication process and dissemination of the guide to various stakeholders. The guide aims to give Irish businesses planning to explore investment opportunities in Kenya a first glance at the economic landscape with guidelines on legal and cultural aspects of setting up a business in Kenya.
•Managed strategic communications & engagement for the business network: Managed social media activity @BIrlKe.
•Organized successfully 4 thematic quarterly breakfast meetings (2016 - 2017) & the Annual General Meeting 2016 at the Capital Club Nairobi.
•Planned for and organized successfully a Ministerial round table meeting on ‘Deepening institutional and trading links between Kenya and Ireland in Agriculture & Food’ hosted by Joe McHugh, Minister of State for the Diaspora and International Development in Ireland.
•Organized BIK Steering Committee meetings at the Embassy of Ireland.
•Developed a database of Irish companies in Kenya. 
•Updated the BIK website including adding relevant content and hyperlinks.
•Planned for media coverage for Business Ireland Kenya activities on mainstream and social media. Wrote article on ‘African technology opportunities in Kenya.’ published by the Irish Tech News. 
•Organized the first social networking event for members in the business network. 
•Ensured compliance with the Registrar of Societies Kenya by filing annual returns, amendments to the Business Ireland Kenya constitution and making changes to office bearers.

Business Ireland Kenya

Administrative Intern

The Trade and Development Symposium (TDS) is the largest multi-stakeholder event taking place in the margin of the 10th WTO Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya. It has been organized by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) alongside each WTO (World Trade Organization) Ministerial Conference since 2003. The TDS has since become the main venue for open discussions and debate alongside WTO Ministerial Conferences. It is a platform for meaningful engagement with more than 2000 key stakeholders in the trade and sustainable development community. It acts as the leading multi-stakeholder platform for intellectual enquiry and dialogue on the future of the multilateral trading system.

I worked in a full-time capacity as a TDS Co-ordinator from the 13th-17th of December 2015 at the Hilton Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.

ICTSD International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development

TDS Co-ordinator

Mashariki week (to mean East Africa week) presents celebrations that blend diverse cultures present in Strathmore’s university student and staff body in the greater East Africa region. The theme of the event for 2015 was “Young, talented and African-the cheetah generation”. The event is aimed at encouraging students explore careers outside their home country. By inviting students to engage with diverse cultures in an interesting and fun context, they will be more inclined to consider working outside their home country and project their professional contribution towards the whole region. 

The event was divided into career talk sessions by regional leaders working in the tech space, FMCG sector and the entertainment industry. The culmination of the Mashariki event was a talk by Caesar Mwangi on “Working in Africa”. This was followed by open mike sessions where students presented poems, puns, songs, rap music and acapella.In addition,the dance crew presented 'Mzimba shaker' ,a South African dance as well as a Haitian dance.The Mashariki catwalk saw Strathmore students present their traditional African attires. 

I was the head of sponsorships for the event. I was tasked with soliciting corporates to sponsor Mashariki including creating sponsorship proposals. My team and I created and executed marketing plans, managed sponsor expectations and designed advertising strategies for sponsors during the event, the objective being to create a ‘win-win’ situation. The event was a huge success with almost 95% of students participating.

Career Development Services,Strathmore University

Head of Sponsorships, Mashariki Event

I assisted IPC in carrying out a labor market study for the Regional Education Finance Fund for Africa (REFFA) in Nairobi.I supported the REFFA fund by conducting surveys on behalf of IPC with both enterprises and students to determine the employability of recent college and university graduates in the labor market.

IPC GmbH - Internationale Projekt Consult GmbH

Surveyor

I engaged in the Sherekea Tafrija Market Storm, the largest ever market storm in East African Breweries 2015.I was a key player in the marketing and sales team that sensitized consumers about the brands on promotion i.e. Tusker, Guinness and Pilsner. Our team covered selling brands in the central Business District of Nairobi and in Downtown. We got valuable consumer feedback and sold hundreds of cases of each brand.

East African Breweries Ltd

Sales promotion

The Global Shapers Nairobi hub were hosted by the African Entrepreneurship Award (AEA) team at the Sankara hotel, Nairobi. Discussions were centered on what the shapers are doing to boost the entrepreneurial eco-system in Kenya and linkage opportunities available for young entrepreneurs. The shapers team connected the AEA team to hub leaders in Kenya including ihub, ilabAfrica, impact hub and the Kenyatta University Center for Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development. The aim of the $1 Million Award is to invest in businesses that create jobs and improve lives in Africa.

Global Shapers Community

Entrepreneur

-Supply planning for Beer including main Brands Tusker, Guinness, Pilsner, Senator, Balozi, White Cap, Allsopps, Tusker Malt, Smirnoff DoubleBlack&Guarana and Snapp.
-Ensure the daily generation of the Production tracker and circulation is done for Beer.
-Ensure update for Monthly Demand solution parameters are fully done and file sent to Global Manufacturing Data team and Demand Solution team.
-Ensure Data for Visibility boards is shared daily for production tracking. Circulate Daily production summary report to Manufacturing Excellence team.
-Daily generation of Demand solution out of stock report and sharing to Planning team the reason codes for out of stock.
-DS Forecast checks report generated and aligned by Supply & Demand Planners. 
-Ensure PPMS actions are closed and Planning team is well engaged on PPMS actions; POST, meeting effectiveness, Planning processes, Planning KPI’s and achievements of all steps to milestones.
-Ensure all plans stakeholders are fully consulted in the weekly planning cycle; team includes Packaging, Brewing, Quality, Materials Planning (Raw and Packaging components), Glass Planning, Asset care, Warehouse and Brand change.
-Align production schedules to deliver signed off inventory targets to minimize on obsolescence.
-Optimize production schedules and ensure no out of stock, where there are no liquid quality challenges, breakdowns and lack of materials.
-Ensure weekly production schedules incorporates shared Demand forecast and signed off Export requirements.
-Track RCPS effectiveness by ensuring all Emergency changes to plan are accompanied by a detailed RCPS.
-Review and update daily and weekly action logs in the planning department.Ensure action closure is above 90 percent.
-Align line managers to ensure bulk beer availability at all times.
-ATP and KPI deployment in the Perfect Plant Management System.(PPMS)
-Inbound logistics.
-I was a key player in delivering the best Adherence To Plan for Beer in Eabl in F15.

Diageo

Supply Planning Intern (Global Supply Office)

-Coordinate, organize and support International visiting students from Canada, Egypt, Malta, Brazil, Czech Republic, Germany, USA, United Kingdom, China, Pakistan, Uganda and Nigeria.
-Organize community activities that promote Aiesec objectives in Kenya.Connect intern students to their work stations in schools in slums such as Kibera and Mathare.
-Facilitate the accommodation of exchange students in affordable rental apartments around the capital city.
-Assist in the translation of English and German languages to Swahili.Translate the local communities dialect to the visiting interns.
-Ensure Aiesec interns get the best out of their stay in the country including organizing birthday parties,trying new foods and integrating diverse cultures,shooting videos and writing articles on experiences with each other.Creating a home away from home and forming a new set of open-minded young societal leaders.
-It was an amazing opportunity to build relationships with students from around the world,to bring a global perspective to my own community here in Kenya and to change lives.

AIESEC

Student Exchange Co-ordinator

-Teach Mathematics,English,Science and Computer studies subjects.
-English composition marking, Classes 7 and 8.
-Prepare lesson plans and Schemes of work.
-Administer Continuous Assessment Tests and Examinations,marking and managing student performance reports.
-Keep up to date with changes and developments in the structure of the curriculum.
-Prepare and mark assignments to facilitate positive pupil development.
-Organize and take part in school events including games, outings and student trips.
-Work with parents to maximise their involvement in the pupils education in school and the development of resources for the school.
-Motivate pupils with enthusiastic, imaginative presentations.
-Maintain discipline among the pupils.
-Provide feedback to parents and guardians on pupil's progress at open day forums and parents sessions.
-Teach pupils about Information and Communication Technology concepts.The objective being to embrace ICT as a catalyst for lifelong education learning.

St Peters Elite School

Teacher

-Inaugural member of the Career Ambassadors team tasked with ensuring that information about services offered by CDS reaches the entire Strathmore University student fraternity.
-Create awareness about mini and annual career fairs. Students have benefited from this by securing internship and job opportunities through the companies invited.
-Hold discussions with industry players to establish ways through which our students can acquire the skill set that is required by the industry currently.
-Act as a student liaison in collaboration with Career Faculty Liaisons to coordinate outreach to the various Schools and Faculties.
-Assist in conducting mini surveys on the impact of the Career Development Services(CDS) office to the students.
-Assist in ushering visitors at CDS events and direct them to appropriate Personnel and resources.
-Staff CDS events(including programs,tables etc).
-Refer students to appropriate departments,staff and resources.
-Conduct outreach to student groups to increase awareness and educate them on Careers office services.
-Distribute promotional materials such as bulletins,flyers,posters etc.
-Conduct outreach presentations on topics such as CV writing,interviewing skills,internship searching and social networking.
-Act as a contact during events such as HR executive breakfasts, career fairs and graduate recruitment fairs.
-Contribute to social media and marketing activities such as widening the Facebook student reach,and retweeting CDS tweets.

Career Ambassador & Advisor

-Research on mobile technology development and its impact in Africa. A case study on the impact of mobile money transfers in Kenya.
-Website development using JavaScript and php. Creating interactive programs using C++ and Java languages.Hardware and software diagnostics and troubleshooting.
-Student discussions centered on current innovations and future trends within the tech space.
-Attending training sessions at the incubation hub spearheaded by Intel, Microsoft and Oracle companies.

iLabAfrica

Student Associate

-Counsel children in level 6 of the hospital. Helping them overcome stigma.
-Report writing and patient’s database maintenance.
-Ensure that files were in the right shelves and drawers in the Doctors'​ consultation rooms.
-Keep stock of the ward's drug store while ensuring a constant supply from the main pharmacy.
-Stock Normal Saline, 5%, 10%, Catheters,gauze rolls and pack ones in surgery room.
-Deliver reports from ward 4 patron to the Oncology department.
-Deliver sample drugs to the biochemistry lab for testing,verification and signing.
-Act as a guide to medical interns from the University of Nairobi and also to volunteer groups at the hospital.
-Teach the various methods of proper hygiene to recovering children,patients and visitors in the ward.
-Interact with young children with burns, hear their stories and help them feel appreciated in the society.
-Replace surgical equipment.
-Ensure that the environment is well preserved by properly disposing medicinal waste.
-At the end of my attachment,I had developed a professional working background with doctors, nurses and patients.I had increased my knowledge on health issues.

Kenyatta National Hospital

Volunteer Intern

The Community Outreach Programme (COP) aims at enhancing the quality of life of communities around Strathmore by connecting knowledge and resources of the University to the country’s evolving economic, social and community needs. COP collaborates with students, staff, alumni, private sector and government in sustainable partnerships.The program aims at tackling problems and challenges in Kenyan communities and providing solutions that lead to sustainable quality lifestyles for these communities.The program has impacted thousands of school going children through projects such as constructing classrooms in remote areas,distributing quality education content,mentorship and peer development.The program has addressed issues such as HIV/AIDS awareness,peace initiatives,girl child education and prisons education.In addition,the center advocates for environmental conservation.The community service center champions for an inclusive society and putting a smile on every heart.

Charles Githui