First of all, this guy has a good track record both at KWS and Equity. I believe he is the right man for Uchumi. Maybe he could also have been the right man for KQ. Anyway, we have to wait and see but we wish him the very best as he seeks to transform Uchumi.
"[U]Uchumi Supermarkets[/U] has picked Julius Kipng’etich as its new chief executive, counting on the senior executive at [U]Equity Group[/U] to lead the debt-laden retail chain back to profitability.
Mr Kipng’etich has been poached from Equity, which he led as [U]chief operating officer since 2012[/U], having been hired from State-owned Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) where he was the chief executive for eight years.
Mr Kipng’etich is credited with turning around the KWS during his leadership there and sources privy to Uchumi’s thinking said that it is this success, while at the State corporation, that heavily influenced the board’s choice.
The sources told the Business Daily that he was expected to bring the discipline required to turn around Uchumi.
The appointment of the Equity Bank senior executive, they added, is also meant to strengthen the listed retailer’s new team, which has been headhunted from other successful retail chains.
Last week Uchumi hired Naivas business development and marketing manager Willy Kimani to be its chief operations officer."… Source: bdafrica.com
He may be smart but sabotage is a bitch, one can be reduced to a paper tiger especially when going against entrenched cartels and suppliers with their people in sensitive positions
Maybe he is good at working with established systems like he has done with KwS and Equity but raising Lazarus from the dead may be out of his league. wish him all the best
There was a time Uchumi was “back on track” …what happened? Until we start prosecuting corrupt people and recovering the loot the KQ,Mumias,Uchumi etal list will only continue to grow
and tax payers “bail” them out.
Thats the problem with our recruitment…for a job like uchumi supermarkets you need someone who has been in the that specific sector…who knows the inner working of this unique sector…like now the COO who was recruited from Naivas…thats the guy…huyu Julius alitoka KWS…before that if you look at his CV he was the MD of IPC, then lecturer, then Equity Bank no where does he have experience in the supermarket retail sector…just they way they fished Miano out of Kenya Power…same way Naikuni was Fished out of Magadi…supermarket chain needs a unique set of business acumen and training…just look at walmart and Carrefour…the global leaders and uangalie CV za wadosi…they are people who have vast experience in retail, FMCG, Logistics…This phrase turnaround CEO phrase has been very abused hapa kenya…Niakuni had no experience at all in Aviation na hizi business are very sensitive…they dont need someone who will have to learn the ropes for a year before aelewe…Julius would have been suited for the role of Chairman sio CEO
Yenyewe Uchumi ina shida nyingi but I hope he succeeds. Kwanza dismantling those cartels bleeding it dry, wacha tu. It’s often so bad that some suppliers have to ‘facilitate’ employees to restock shelves with their goods yet ziko kwa store!