Stefan Cloete

CEO Southern Africa

Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

About

I’ve spent over twenty years in the consumer goods industry, and my career has really been a game of two halves. The first decade was all about running toward the hard problems across different functions, companies, and geographies. That ground-level immersion shaped my commercial instincts and taught me how to lead teams with empathy and clarity. Over the last ten years, I’ve put those skills to work managing large-scale business units and driving major market turnarounds across Asia and Africa. Whether it was shifting product strategies in the Philippines, scaling brands in Ethiopia, or digitizing sales and marketing networks, I’ve learned that sustainable commercial success only happens when you build what lasts. Returning home to lead Unilever Southern Africa as General Manager is deeply personal for me. My focus is on delivering strong business results, but in this region, business cannot exist in a vacuum. True success means using our scale to solve real societal challenges. That is why I am heavily focused on driving inclusive growth, creating pathways for youth employment, and investing in local skills development. I want to ensure that as our business grows, we are actively lifting up our communities and building a world-class pipeline of local talent. If you want to talk about sustainable business models in Africa, retail innovation, or collaborating to tackle youth unemployment, let’s connect.

Experience

  • Unilever (8 yrs 9 mos)
    • CEO Southern Africa
      Feb 2026 - Present · 6 mos

    • GM Beauty and Wellbeing Greater Asia
      Jan 2024 - Feb 2026 · 2 yrs 2 mos

    • Managing Director East Africa and GM Ethiopia
      Jan 2021 - Jan 2024 · 3 yrs 1 mo

  • Mondelēz International (4 yrs 5 mos)
    • Category Planning and Activation Director
      Oct 2016 - Oct 2017 · 1 yr 1 mo

    • Modern Trade Channel Director - Southern Africa
      Jan 2015 - Sep 2016 · 1 yr 9 mos

    • Channel Manager (C&C, Emerging Market, Pharmacy and HORECA)
      Apr 2014 - Dec 2014 · 9 mos

  • GlaxoSmithKline (5 yrs 3 mos)
    • Customer and Shopper Marketing Manager
      Dec 2011 - May 2013 · 1 yr 6 mos

    • National Key Account manager (Spar)
      Oct 2010 - Dec 2011 · 1 yr 3 mos

    • Senior Financial Analyst
      Mar 2008 - Sep 2010 · 2 yrs 7 mos