South Africa: Advantage Group International appoints customer director for Africa

Advantage Group International, a business-to-business engagement solutions provider has appointed Lauren Filen as the customer director for Africa.

Lauren will be responsible for retailer engagement and coverage, market revenue growth, and key account management in South Africa and its continent.

Filen holds over 30 years of experience across innovation, logistics, sales, marketing, and general management in the FMCG sector in Johannesburg.

She has again led small, medium, and large businesses in leadership roles, including holding the title of chief executive officer at several companies.

She played the role of the CEO of IFFCO, an FMCG conglomerate based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. In 2018, Filen started Baobab Nutritional Brands, which involved significant investment in a greenfield manufacturing site, and, most recently, she served as commercial director for The Natures Choice Group.

Filen has worked with sub-Saharan African countries which have broadened her experience in her working field.

Filen commented on her appointment, saying “At my core, I’m a collaborator, so I am looking forward to connecting with my team to drive the potential that I know exists in the South African business landscape. The work is exciting – not just with the larger companies but having the opportunity to arm our small companies with data that can make a difference in their business partnerships.

“In the highly competitive and challenging business environment we find ourselves in, partnering and communicating better is essential to drive competitive advantage, and Advantage Group facilitates and drives these partnerships.”

Managing Director for Advantage Group Africa Dylan Piatti also commented saying “I do not doubt that Lauren will be able to channel her expertise and experience into accelerating customer development in Africa. We are all excited to have someone with her expertise, people skills, and business acumen on our team.”