Africa Resource Centre appoints new CEO – ARC’s vision to become a sustainable institution on the continent includes expanding and diversifying its leadership team, with a longstanding aim to bring in an experienced CEO to help take ARC to the next level of scale and impact. Today ARC announces the appointment of Faustin Mukena as CEO, effective from 1 May 2022. Faustin is currently based in Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands, and plans to relocate to Johannesburg, South Africa, by the fourth quarter of 2022.

Faustin is an MBA educated global business leader with extensive experience in general management and executive commercial roles at blue-chip FMCG companies across Europe, Middle East and Africa. Before joining ARC, he was Business Unit Managing Director for Africa, Middle East & Eastern Europe (five countries) at The Heineken Company. He is also the Co-Founder and social investor in Mabele Co-op, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mabele Co-op aims to provide an easy, accessible commercial platform to support small and medium sized entrepreneurs to offer high quality, locally produced food products at affordable prices.

“After a couple of decades in corporate business life with multinational companies across the world, it is time for me to give back to my mother continent Africa by supporting the most vulnerable,” says Faustin. “ARC’s mission of supporting partners to design and/or strengthen sustainable supply chain strategies is just so close to my passion of supporting the vulnerable in health, education, entrepreneurship and poverty alleviation. I am thrilled to join the team to contribute to taking ARC to new heights by tapping into my deep connection with the continent, as well as my diverse cultural and international business experience.”

Faustin’s previous roles include General Manager at The Coca-Cola Company in Angola and in Francophone West Africa, as well as various advisory and board roles in different private sector companies.

Trip Allport, Managing Director at ARC says, “We are excited about this appointment, as it marks an important milestone in ARC’s leadership journey and evolution. ARC is in a good place for this transition to happen as we continue to grow and expand. We are poised for great things, and I’m excited to see and be a part of where this goes next. We would also like to thank Dr Bonface Fundafunda for his leadership as interim CEO since mid-2021 and look forward to his continued leadership at ARC.