Our woman of the month, February 2021, Nwamaka Onyemelukwe is the Head, Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability (PACS) at Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited. Amaka is a credible force with regard to fostering and implementing sustainability initiatives in Nigeria through corporate lines.
In her capacity as Head, PACS, Amaka is responsible for enabling sustainable business growth by building a strong and consistent public policy and sustainable agenda for the Coca-Cola business in Nigeria. She also oversees strategic communication and stakeholder management as well as leads high impact sustainable programmes that create shared value in communities.
Amaka champions the development and implementation of various award-winning initiatives across the country – raising awareness on prevalent issues plaguing our society and driving behavioural change for the adoption of progressive practices. She is responsible for various sustainability initiatives empowering over 100,000 women on economic empowerment and recycling projects, securing financial inclusion for women as well as driving environmental sustainability in Nigeria. Under her leadership, Coca-Cola has facilitated the award of over US$1.9 million worth of grants to local NGOs with key competencies from the company’s philanthropic arm, The Coca-Cola Foundation leading to sustainable and enhanced communities. Her achievements in this space was recognized by the organisers of the prestigious Sustainability, Entrepreneurship and Responsibility Awards who named her as the first runner-up sustainability professional of the year 2020.
Prior to joining Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited, Amaka worked at Philip Morris International, where she served as Manager, Corporate Affairs. She started her professional career with Novartis Pharmaceuticals and served in various capacities before leaving the company to pursue other interests.
Amaka holds a BSc in Pharmacy from the University of Benin in Edo State, Nigeria, and an MBA from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. She is also an alumna of Harvard Business Publishing.
She is passionate about sustainable development and is married with kids.
- What motivates you – in life and in your career?
Aside from God and my family, my biggest motivation has always been to make a difference in people’s lives. This has been my greatest motivator which has propelled me to constantly develop myself as a credible force by striving for excellence and even going as far as charting new territories to bring positive change and progress to my immediate environment.
My passion to create a fair and equitable world where the common man can have access to the basic necessities of life has greatly motivated me to build a career around sustainable development. The thought that my work puts a smile on someone’s face especially the most vulnerable propels me to keep pushing the frontiers. This is what gives me the fulfillment and the kick to keep putting in my best every day.
- What have you learnt from the successes and failures in your career?
I will have to itemise four major lessons:
Number one is that you’ll never be 100% ready. Take each opportunity that comes your way and make the most of it. We all have big dreams and there’ll never be a perfect time or opportunity to take them on so start now.
Secondly, there will always be obstacles and challenges but it’s how you react and manage them that matters.
Another will be that not everyone will agree with your vision but that doesn’t mean you’re wrong. If you’re confident enough, go for it.
Finally, it’s ok to fail. It’s one of the best ways to learn, just never let fear get in the way.
- When it comes to sustainability, what informs the main areas of focus for Coca-Cola?
At Coca-Cola, our mandate is to refresh the world and make a difference. We act in ways to create a more sustainable and better shared future, making a difference in people’s lives, communities, and our planet by doing business the right way.
Through this mandate, the company has distilled activities that have been identified to ensure the realisation of a better shared future. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and our total environmental impacts inform our sustainability focus. Our sustainability pillars focus on what we call the 4Ws – Water, Waste, Women and Youth Economic Empowerment, and Wellbeing.
We believe in empowering our people, creating equal opportunities, building inclusion, and supporting communities to achieve more, especially in times of need. We recognize that we cannot do this alone, that is why Coca-Cola’s sustainability model also involves collaborating with governments and local NGOs by empowering or increasing their capacity to implement numerous initiatives on a much larger scale.
The Coca-Cola Company has also, through its global philanthropic arm, The Coca-Cola Foundation committed to giving back 1% of its prior year’s operating income annually to enhance communities and protect the environment. Over US$1 billion has so far been given back by The Coca-Cola Foundation.
- As Head, Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability at Coca-Cola what are the major challenges you tackle, and how do you go about doing so?
The situation in Nigeria and Africa as a whole leaves a lot to be desired. It is an open secret that Africans are subjected to unprecedented levels of toxic waste, malfunctional health frameworks and little to no opportunities for women and youth. These issues are not getting the required attention and for a sustainability lead, this in itself is a major issue.
We believe that government, private sector, and non-governmental organisations need to come together to help solve these issues currently plaguing the country and hindering it from development. Our strategy at Coca-Cola is a story of partnerships. We have been able to build strategic golden triangle partnerships to intervene in various areas enabling economic growth and grassroot development across the country.
- From your experience, what advice would you give other women for success in their careers?
The first advice I will give is to understand your passion, realize that you can’t be like the next woman so never compare yourself to her. Also be open to opportunities and be prepared to spot growth propellers when they present themselves. Always remember that life is a marathon, not a sprint, so remain resilient, confident, and focused.
- How do you juggle all your work responsibilities with being a wife and mother?
It’s never easy. Whoever coined the term “Work-Life Balance” must have been joking because it is a hard task trying to juggle a full-time job with being a mother. But the key is to stay organised and find your support system.
Being a working mum can lead to high levels of stress and feelings of guilt because you have to divide your attention between work and family so learn to find the right balance and make perfect use of your support system. It will not be easy, but over time, you’ll get the hang of it.
Learn to be always fully present when you are available, stay organised and ask for help if you need it. Finally, accept that there will be good and bad days so don’t beat yourself up about mistakes and slights but stay grateful for the opportunity to mother such fantastic children and have a great career.