Carl Khoury, Business Executive Officer: Coffee and Beverages at Nestlé ESAR has been in South Africa for just over a year having already worked for Nestlé in Vietnam, Switzerland and Dubai. Of Lebanese descent, with an accent that speaks of his cosmopolitan adventures, Carl enjoys spending time with his family exploring new cultures in the different countries they’ve lived in.
His children, both girls, are seven and ten and with his trademark empathy, Carl acknowledges that being part of a ‘travelling family’ is a double-edged sword; both enriching and challenging. “Moving kids into the unknown is always difficult. However, these challenges also build resilience. By facing and overcoming hardships, our children learn adaptability and strength. It is important to carefully support them through these transitions and encourage them to embrace new experiences and cultures,” he explains.
A Mechanical Engineer by training, he studied in Lebanon and France and completed an MBA from London Business School. He began his career by taking up an opportunity as a Management Trainee in Marketing and Sales for Procter and Gamble who were looking for graduates with an open mind, good analytical skills, and different degrees than marketing.
Carl is enthusiastic about people and explains that his motivation comes from both the impact of the work he’s doing and the people he leads: “What motivates me is to lead and empower a diverse group of talent that will join me on the journey to achieve our goals. As an ex-pat, I’ll feel satisfied if I leave having made a positive impact on the people, the business and the communities around us. Given the scale and extended value chain of our business, we impact a lot of people,” he explains.
“I love setting an ambitious and exciting vision and developing and executing winning strategies that eventually grow the business and the brands. Here I want to put an emphasis on execution because a great plan is 80% execution!”
This year, Carl and his team are focused on executing their strategy with excellence, while navigating the strong headwinds they’re facing. Like cocoa, coffee prices have escalated massively in the last two years and the team is balancing doing everything in their power to reduce the impact on consumers while also protecting the business in this hyperinflationary environment.
Carl explains the soaring price of coffee in a nutshell: “It starts with climate change impacting crops and coffee growing lands. Coffee farmers are also starting to grow other more climate-resistant crops. Additionally, demand is increasing as people from traditionally non-coffee markets, like China and India, are consuming more coffee.
As manufacturers, we have little influence on commodity pricing, we’re on the receiving end and simply must deal smartly with the increases.”
And navigating those dynamic economic challenges, is what has made Carl most proud of his team.
He’s also inspired by South Africa, explaining that exploring the country and understanding the rich culture and the history behind our diversity has given him a deep appreciation of our unique brand of South African resilience.
“Especially when we go on in-home visits and listen to consumers, their stories really motivate me to foster inclusivity, diversity and collaboration. As a business leader, you need to deeply understand your consumers – their needs, tension points, motivations,” he enthuses.
“Nescafé’s new brand identity is all about the intrinsic benefits of coffee in our everyday lives and how it can inspire you to see the difference that you can make, whether in your personal life, in your community or in the world. Nescafé has the power to awaken your body and mind so you can take control and make your world a better place, everyday – small steps at a time,” he explains.
Results-driven with a focused, strategic mind, Carl’s empathy, and genuine appreciation of people as they are, are what give him his edge. He says, “I enjoy playing tennis. The sensation of winning and the drive to win is important. But always striving to do the right thing first and acting with integrity, is more important.
“I’ve also learnt to focus on the progress, not the perfection, and celebrate the small victories and continuous improvement rather than being paralysed by the pursuit of perfection because taking action is better than overthinking.”
We’ll raise a coffee to that!