Susan Mbula

Commercial and business development leader with 9+ years of experience spanning B2B sales, key-account development, distributor management, market expansion, budgeting, revenue growth and multi-market leadership. Proven results include increasing regional advertising revenue by 25%, securing 15 new corporate accounts, improving customer retention by 40% across a 50+ customer/distributor network, improving sales forecast accuracy by 30%, reducing operating costs by 15%, and leading regional initiatives across 23 East and Southern African markets. Combines commercial judgement, market intelligence, stakeholder influence and cross-functional project leadership with an Executive MBA and B.Com. in Marketing.

Value Chain Business Partner - East & Southern Africa at NESTLÉ KENYA (2016-04 – 2023-07)

• Owned regional growth and marketing initiatives aligned with annual revenue and market-share objectives, translating market needs into executable commercial priorities.
• Managed and developed a network of 50+ distributors and corporate customers; joint business planning strengthened strategic relationships and improved customer retention by 40%.
• Used market research and competitor intelligence to identify growth opportunities, inform product development and improve market fit across regional portfolios.
• Led the regional rollout and commercial coordination of 10+ product lines and promotional campaigns, aligning marketing, sales and cross-functional teams from planning through execution.
• Drove end-to-end business optimisation that reduced operating costs by 15% while protecting service levels, strengthening margin discipline and execution efficiency.
• Coordinated strategic transformation priorities across 23 countries, consolidating market feedback, risks and regional requirements into recommendations for senior leadership.
• Managed senior stakeholder engagement, performance tracking, interdependencies and risk reporting; as a senior leadership team member and Change Ambassador, reported directly to the Managing Director and contributed to strategic decisions.

Area Manager at BRITISH AMERICAN TOBACCO (BAT) KENYA (2013-01 – 2013-12)

• Directed territory-level commercial operations with accountability for sales strategy, budgeting, marketing campaigns, trade execution and market-share performance.
• Managed a 20+ distributor and retail-partner network, strengthening route-to-market execution, partner relationships, brand visibility and commercial coverage.
• Applied territory and customer performance insights to prioritize sales activity, deploy resources and support consistent market-share growth.

Team Leader - Coast Region at STANDARD MEDIA GROUP (2010-01 – 2012-12)

• Led and coached a 10-person regional sales and marketing team, increasing advertising revenue by 25% through disciplined account development and sales execution.
• Secured long-term contracts with major corporate clients and advertising agencies, adding 15 new accounts and expanding the regional commercial portfolio.
• Introduced data-driven sales tracking that improved forecast accuracy by 30%, strengthened pipeline visibility and enabled more rigorous performance management and reporting.

Executive MBA – Strathmore Business School (2018 – 2020)

Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing – University of Nairobi (2005 – 2009)

Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) - Ongoing, part-time – University of Nairobi (2022 – 2026)