Mars' Saint-Francis Tohlang To Receive Individual Achievement SABRE

(MENAFN- PRovoke) Over the course of his corporate affairs career, Saint-Francis Tohlang has found himself at the center of global discussions around sustainability issues in Africa, first with Nestlé-where issues spanned infant formula to coffee-and more recently with Mars, where he is responsible for communications for the company's cocoa business.

His ability to manage complex and controversial issues makes him a worthy recipient of one of our SABRE Awards for Outstanding Individual Achievement, which will be presented in Africa for the first time at our upcoming event -held in conjunction with the Public Relations & Communications Association-in Johannesburg.

In his current role as global senior director of communications for the Cocoa Enterprise at Mars, he sits on the global cocoa enterprise leadership team and the global Mars snacking sustainability leadership team and guides the enterprise's global reputation efforts, sustainability narrative, and engagement across cocoa producing origin markets and markets worldwide.

He advises senior executives on cocoa‐related reputation issues shaping the future of the value chain, and influences how one of the world's most iconic companies engages on the topic of cocoa and other sustainability topics.

According to Andy Pharaoh, VP for corporate affairs and sustainability at Mars (who received one of our Outstanding Individual Achievement awards in 2020,“Sustainability-and cocoa in particular-is one of the most complex areas in our industry, and Sainf-Francis brings the ability to navigate how we engage on some of the most important communication challenges facing our sector.

“He has also built trusted relationships across the value chain-from industry peers and partners on the ground to global stakeholders. This award reflects not only his individual achievement, but the meaningful impact he has had on the industry.”

Tohlang has built a career at the intersection of reputation management, sustainability, geopolitical complexity, and purpose‐driven business strategy.

Before joining Mars, Tohlang held multiple senior leadership roles at Nestlé, including director of corporate communications and public affairs for the East & Southern Africa region, where he was the youngest EXCO member at only 31. He oversaw corporate affairs across 23 countries, leading the corporate affairs function including teams responsible for public affairs, internal and external communications, sustainability, issues and crisis management, and PR.

He also served as corporate communications manager for Asia, Oceania and Sub‐Saharan Africa, directing corporate communications and responsible‐sourcing narratives across 103 countries and coaching market teams on crisis management, thought leadership, packaging sustainability, and responsible sourcing with earlier roles including Head of Communications and Innovation programme at East & Southern Africa Region.

His earlier career spans innovation strategy, trend analysis, and professional services, including roles at Deloitte, Flux Trends, and the University of the Witwatersrand.

In addition, Tohlang serves as chair of the Africa Corporate Network and an executive board member of the Public Relations & Communications Association Africa, and has been a jury member for both the African SABRE Awards and the PRCA Global Platinum Awards.

Across every chapter of his career, he says, he has been driven by one belief:“communications is not simply a function-it is a strategic engine for trust, value creation, and societal impact.”

Tohlang will receive his award at our African SABRE Awards ceremony, which takes place in Johannesburg

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