CEO

Yalelo Uganda is a fast growing, sustainable aquaculture business backed by Veris Investments, an independent investment company supporting projects that contribute to the food value chain in Sub-Saharan Africa. The CEO will lead the company’s scale up journey, implementing structure, expanding production, and building up the brand commercially.

About Yalelo Uganda

After the successful establishment of its sister company Yalelo Zambia, which is the largest aquaculture business in Sub-Saharan Africa founded in 2011, Yalelo Uganda started production in 2020 on its state-of-the-art tilapia fish farm. Located on the shores of Lake Victoria and active in Uganda and neighboring markets, Yalelo Uganda is dedicated to stabilizing food security in the region by producing a reliable and sustainable supply of fresh fish. In the local language, the name Yalelo means ‘today’s fish’ and the company has quickly become the largest producer of fish in Uganda.

Yalelo Uganda has 500 employees, with capacity of 10,000 tons per year. The company has a unique value proposition and its sister company has been successful in Zambia by maintaining control of its supply chain, producing high-quality fish feed, and managing its own distribution through a chain of retail points-of-sale. The new CEO will lead the company’s journey in setting up a similar value chain for Yalelo Uganda.

Vacancy: CEO

Yalelo Uganda sees significant growth potential and is ready to take the next step to scale up their business. This innovative company is looking for a CEO to professionalize the fast-growing company as they pursue ambitious growth goals.

The CEO will steer the strategic direction of the company with a systematic and data-driven management approach. They will implement structure to help the business thrive, streamlining processes and operations, connecting, and motivating the team, and building up the commercial side of the business, positioning Yalelo as a trusted brand in the local market.

They will immerse themselves in the local culture and become an expert on the market in Uganda. Leveraging existing knowledge and best practices from the sister company’s success in Zambia, they will build up Yalelo Uganda’s production capacity and local distribution channels, focusing on stabilizing sales and increasing profit.

The aquaculture business is complex and takes time to expand. The CEO has a good understanding of FMCG dynamics and applies this knowledge while working closely with the Production Director to develop and implement proactive business strategies to scale up the business step by step, and maintaining the company’s extremely efficient practices and high production standards.

They will also ensure strong brand positioning in the local market, making the product easily accessible through company-owned distribution channels and shops and working with the Commercial Director to drive the message that Yalelo has the freshest fish in town. The CEO will lead Yalelo’s high performance management team and interact with a diverse range of shareholders, delivering strategic insights and advice used to make important business decisions. They will work closely with the CFO to monitor company performance and track local trends, utilizing data to enable smooth financial, business and supply chain operations. The CEO is an inspirational leader. They are action-oriented and understand the importance of finding the right balance between delegating work and being hands-on to educate the team and show them how to do the work that needs to be done. Setting the tone from the top, they will create an inclusive and inspiring work environment which supports professional growth.

“There is so much potential for growth in this market. The CEO will be the driving force in taking the business to the next level and building up the brand in Uganda, making a significant impact on food supply in the region.” – Michiel Botman, Veris Investments

This is an exciting opportunity for an energetic individual, who takes ownership and shows leadership to drive the business forward. The CEO will strategically build the business and guide the team with confidence along this crucial phase of the company’s scale-up journey. The candidate should be prepared to relocate to Uganda and be keen to make a longer-term commitment.

Interested?

Yalelo is working with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy.
To express your interest, please contact Gijs Millaard at gijsmillaard@topofminds.com