Kelechi Amamba, Site Director of Upfield West Africa, has redefined leadership by turning a struggling operation into an award-winning benchmark for quality and workplace excellence in the region.
Under his leadership, Upfield West Africa, the largest producer of plant-based consumer products, won the SERAS Award for Best Company in Workplace Practices in Nigeria. And with his support, the company clinched the National Quality Gold Category Award from the Association of Ghana Industries and the Ghana Standards Authority.
“It’s been a challenging but rewarding journey,” Amamba said. “By leveraging Agile methodologies, people and process improvements, advanced business and data analytics, we’ve transformed operations and built a culture of remarkable growth.”
Amamba’s leadership is backed by over a decade of experience in Fortune Global 500 companies like Procter & Gamble and Beiersdorf, where he honed skills in managing capital projects, streamlining manufacturing, and driving continuous improvement across West Africa. Armed with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering, an MBA in Technology and Innovation Management, and a Certified Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB) from the American Society for Quality, he joined Upfield with a bold vision.
“When I took the role, Upfield West Africa was essentially a start-up,” Amamba recalled. “Operations were fragmented, decisions inconsistent, and morale low. Traditional methods wouldn’t suffice — we needed adapt or sink.”
His strategy focused on three pillars: Agile execution, Operational Excellence, and Advanced Business and Data Analytics. By integrating operational excellence and using a digital replica of the factory floor, Amamba’s team simulated operations, predicted bottlenecks, and refined solutions before implementation. “This minimized guesswork,” he explained. “Every improvement was measured, validated, and optimized, leading to significant gains in efficiency and reliability.”
The results were remarkable: business and material wastes dropped below 3 percent, efficiency rose by 25 percent, and profitability soared. A cultural shift was equally pivotal. “Failure became an opportunity for iteration,” Amamba noted. “Departments became data-driven and autonomous in following the losses and the money, moving away from top-down directives.”
Challenges included tough decisions, such as restructuring leadership teams for adaptability and performance. “Aligning talent to the right roles was critical,” he said. “Those changes fueled our growth.”
Amamba credits success to both technical innovation and human empowerment. “We built dashboards, simple models, and lean processes,” he said, “but empowering our people was key. With the right tools and environment, they achieved extraordinary results.”
His advice to other leaders? “Adopt a data-first mindset, invest in agile systems and tools, drive operational excellence, and leverage digital tools for operational visibility. Above all, empower your team—transformation follows.”
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