Marius Meyer

I'm a commercial leader and FMCG strategist with 36 years of experience managing some of South Africa's largest retail accounts, these including Shoprite Group at over R1.5 billion and Pick n Pay Group at over R1.0 billion. My career spans Johnson & Johnson, Numico South Africa, and 21 years at Pioneer Foods (PepsiCo), where I held full P&L and GP margin accountability, led national trading term negotiations, and consistently delivered revenue growth and market share gains, even in the most challenging trading environments. I lead with honesty, analytical rigour, and a genuine belief that the best commercial outcomes come from strong relationships, with customers, with teams, and across functions.

I build teams that outlast me. Succession will always be a non-negotiable standard in how I lead.

NATIONAL CUSTOMER MANAGER - Pioneer Foods (PepsiCo)

(2005 - 2026)

Total SA Retail & Wholesale Customers (2005–2020) Pick n Pay Group: Cereals, Beverages, Condiments, Baking & Desserts, Fruit & Nut (2020–2026) In this role I owned full customer P&L and GP margin accountability, leading national trading term and promotional spend negotiations with a pay-for-performance framework. Working cross-functionally across marketing, finance, supply chain, and shopper marketing, I built tailored customer growth strategies and conducted quarterly top-to-top business reviews to align objectives and drive profitable growth.

Despite

Pick n Pay closing over 75 stores and intensifying competitor pressure, I consistently delivered market share gains across all categories while managing an annual trade budget of approximately R12 million.

NATIONAL SALES & CUSTOMER MANAGER - Numico South Africa

(2000 - 2005)

Retail, Wholesale & Medical Channels In this role I managed national sales and customer relationships across retail, wholesale, and medical institution channels, while recruiting, building, and developing a new national medical sales force entirely from the ground up. I led the successful national launch of Nutricia Infant Formula across all three channels, achieving 15% market share prior to the Aspen Pharmaceuticals acquisition in 2005, at which point Aspen took over all brands and production facilitie

GENERAL MANAGER; INLAND & FREE STATE / NATIONAL KEY ACCOUNTS - MBO of Johnson & Johnson Sales & Merchandising - Inland and Free State regions

(1996 - 2000)

Strategic Sales & Merchandising | 5 Principals In this role I simultaneously managed the full key account and sales management functions across five major principals: Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Labs, Denny Mushrooms, Hulett's Sugar, and EFFEM (Mars). Leading strategic sales and merchandising operations across the Inland and Free State regions with full accountability for both commercial performance and field execution.

REGIONAL SALES MANAGER - Johnson & Johnson - Inland & Free State Region

(1990 - 1996)

In this role I managed a team of 14 direct report sales representatives and 105 indirect merchandisers across the Inland and Free State, implementing sales objectives across the trade including forward share targets, extra display execution, and in-store marketing activities. During my tenure I was named Region of the Year twice and Regional Manager of the Year twice, and became the youngest ever recipient of the Managing Director's Club Award.