Mr. Green Africa is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Kees Kruythoff as the new Chairman of our Board of Directors. Kees joins us after an illustrious career spanning over 25 years at Unilever and we look forward to gleaning from his expertise in the FMCG and global leadership space. We welcome our new Chairman at a time when Mr. Green Africa is also embarking on a growth and scale trajectory that requires strategic partnerships and guidance to succeed.
"Plastic is one of the best things that has happened to the world but it should never come into the ocean or cause harm to the environment."
Kees believes that the future of plastic and its contribution to society need not be ignored but rather accentuated and amplified. An encounter with Boyan Slat, 18-year-old founder of Ocean Cleanup left him pondering on how he could contribute to providing solutions to the one of the world's biggest problems. Ocean Clean-Up is a non-profit organization that is developing advanced technologies to rid the world's oceans of plastic. Likewise, Mr. Green Africa is at the forefront of addressing the problem of plastic waste in Africa and there is need for companies to push even further to provide solutions and push for the use of plastic the right way. This new relationship was not only a strategic fit but also a decision based on our mutual vision on how to tackle the plastic waste issue in emerging markets with a social impact and for profit component.
"Sustainable business is the future."
Kees Kruythoff is the archetype of a leader who has worked on profit, purpose and sustainability for a long time and he would like to inspire and guide and most importantly help Mr. Green Africa integrate performance, purpose and profit. In his experience, social enterprises struggle to scale up while keeping themselves committed to their original mandate and vision. He intends to assist Mr. Green Africa to reach greater heights in both sustainability and impact. With Kees as Chairman, our company will be able to harness the growth opportunities that exist in the emerging markets while utilizing the networks he also brings to the table.
"My heart is in Africa."
Kees' passion for Africa goes beyond the growth opportunities he sees in the continent. Africa has always been an important part of the Kruythoff family as they stayed in South Africa and also added a member of the family there. The development and improvement of the continent is therefore a personal commitment and goal for our new Chairman.
These are exciting times for Mr. Green Africa and we anticipate positive outcomes from this new alliance.