Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Social Impact Interests
References
Timeline
Generic

LEONARD EBUTE

Lagos,Lagos State

Summary

Board-facing Chief Operating Officer and General Manager with over 18 years of executive leadership driving operational control, P&L expansion, continuous-process industrial plant operations, and multi-country supply chain architecture across Sub-Saharan Africa. Proven authority in translating Board and Executive Management mandates into scalable operating platforms, establishing strict working-capital discipline, and optimizing multi-site equipment uptime and reliability across FMCG, industrial, medical gas, and processing environments. Track record includes generating over ₦3 Billion in direct unit-cost performance improvements, scaling regional revenues over 10x, and executing complex greenfield/brownfield plant setups. Expert in operational risk mitigation, safety culture & HSE compliance, regulatory alignment, enterprise SAP deployment, and driving productivity drivers across 200+ headcount operational teams.

Overview

20
20
years of professional experience

Work History

Divisional Managing Director, Supply Chain [COO Tr

Food Concepts Plc
Lagos , Lagos State
04.2024 - Current
  • Enterprise P&L & Cost Governance: Delivered over ₦3 Billion in bottom-line operating value within 8 months by restructuring primary vendor contracts, enforcing working-capital discipline, and optimizing unit-cost performance across multi-site operations.
  • Digital Transformation & Internal Controls: Executed 4-month enterprise integration of SAP-driven operating platform, establishing real-time production tracking, enhancing inventory precision, and reinforcing institutional governance.
  • Operational Continuity & Asset Uptime: Maintained 100% operational uptime and product availability across all manufacturing, processing, and retail channels during peak demand cycles, eliminating bottlenecks and driving customer satisfaction.
  • Executive Leadership & HSE Governance: Directed 200+ headcount operational organization across 7 functional departments, implementing robust SOPs and safety/HSE protocols while establishing board-level KPI reporting frameworks.

Country Manager (Nigeria) / General Manager (West

Lori Systems Limited
Lagos , Lagos State
11.2019 - 01.2023
  • Commercial Scale & Revenue Growth: Expanded regional business volume from $2.4M to $30M within 24 months (over 10x growth) by driving aggressive market development and establishing scalable freight operations.
  • P&L & Capital Deployment: Managed multi-country P&L and capital budgets, achieving 15% reduction in operating costs and quadrupling revenue per capita.
  • Operating Model Restructuring: Re-engineered regional workflows and reporting lines, enhancing commercial execution to achieve 100% lift in operational performance within 60 days.
  • Board Alignment & Institutional Governance: Led cross-functional teams in sales, operations, finance, and supply chain, ensuring effective Board reporting and regulatory compliance while strengthening senior stakeholder relationships.

Chief Operating Officer

Crest-Agro Products
Lokoja, Kogi State
01.2016 - 01.2018
  • Greenfield Plant Setup & Operational Readiness: Led commercial transformation from incubation to full operational viability by managing processing plant layouts, selecting technical equipment, commissioning, and ensuring factory line readiness.
  • P&L Management & Unit-Cost Performance: Re-engineered raw material sourcing, procurement, and plant workflows, significantly lowering unit operating costs, material waste, and fixed overheads.
  • Equipment Reliability & Asset Uptime: Partnered with engineering and technical teams to institute preventive maintenance regimes, maximizing processing plant capacity utilization and minimizing unscheduled downtime.
  • HSE, Safety Culture & Regulatory Compliance: Developed institutional quality assurance frameworks, SOPs, and root cause analysis protocols to enhance safety culture and ensure regulatory compliance.

Head of Supply Chain (West, East & Central Africa)

Kimberly-Clark SSA
Lagos , Lagos State
01.2014 - 01.2016
  • Capital Project Execution & Plant Setup: Led the end-to-end supply chain and procurement workstream for a multi-million-dollar manufacturing plant setup in Nigeria, coordinating CAPEX import clearance, raw material pipelines, and equipment operational readiness.
  • Regional Trade Expansion & Inventory Control: Scaled regional export operations from 0% to over 60% of total output across 18 African markets within 2 years while preserving strict inventory controls and regional supply continuity.
  • Enterprise ERP Deployment: Implemented SAP-enabled supply chain protocols across 18 regional markets, deploying real-time tracking systems, operational dashboards, and rigid performance metrics.
  • Cross-Functional Team Capability: Directed and mentored a 46-member regional team, advancing S&OP integration, root cause analysis, and vendor risk mitigation across complex operating footprints.

Head of Procurement (North & East Africa)

Sanofi Aventis
Casablanca
01.2013 - 01.2016
  • Multi-Country Strategic Sourcing: Formulated and executed regional procurement strategies across 10 countries, delivering 15%+ in direct unit-cost reductions while protecting supply continuity.
  • Vendor Governance & Risk Audits: Executed comprehensive supplier performance audits, risk mitigation assessments, and contractual renegotiations to enforce strict corporate governance standards.
  • Executed supplier performance audits, risk mitigation assessments, and contractual renegotiations to enforce corporate governance standards, enhancing supplier reliability.
  • Cross-Functional Compliance: Standardized procurement policies across regional operating units, bringing local operating practices into full alignment with global corporate governance and regulatory guidelines.

Team Lead, Inbound Material Management & Sourcing

Nestle Nigeria Plc
Lagos, Lagos State
01.2007 - 01.2013
  • Capital Protection & Cost Avoidance: Generated $6 Million in capital cost avoidance by designing and implementing inbound material management frameworks for raw, packaging, and engineering spend.
  • Category Sourcing & Unit-Cost Savings: Secured $2 Million in annual procurement savings across assigned categories through total-cost-of-ownership (TCO) modeling and strategic supplier negotiations.
  • Led and developed team of 6 material buyers, enhancing purchasing responsiveness, order fulfillment accuracy, and Procure-to-Pay (P2P) compliance.
  • Primary Distribution Architecture: Architected primary logistics and supply chain network solutions for core manufacturing plants and distribution centers, capturing CHF 6.2 Million in structural savings.

Education

Executive MBA - Business Administration / Executive Leadership

Lagos Business School (Pan-Atlantic University)
Lagos, Nigeria
01-2013

Full Member (MCIPS) - Strategic Sourcing & Supply Chain Management

Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS-
United KIngdom
01-2010

Master of Science - Economics (Best Graduating Student, Second Class U

University of Jos
Jos, Nigeria
01-2005

Skills

  • Continuous-Process Industrial Plant Operations
  • P&L Management & Capital Allocation
  • Equipment Uptime & Reliability Optimization
  • Preventive Maintenance & Root Cause Analysis
  • End-to-End Supply Chain Architecture & S&OP
  • SAP ERP Architecture & Systems Deployment
  • Unit-Cost Performance & Working Capital Discipline
  • Factory Process Optimization
  • Multi-Site Logistics & Fleet Route Optimization
  • Operational Safety Standards
  • Strategic Procurement & TCO Sourcing Modeling
  • Vendor Compliance Management
  • Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) Codification
  • Production Planning & Capacity Utilization
  • Operational Risk Mitigation & Internal Controls
  • Board & Executive Management Reporting
  • Cross-Functional Team Leadership (200 Headcount)
  • Senior Stakeholder & Vendor Relationship Management
  • Organizational Performance Improvement
  • Performance Culture & Executive Mentorship

Social Impact Interests

  • Public-Private Partnership (PPP) & Regional Economic Blueprint Advisory: Strategic advisor on state-level economic development frameworks (Benue, Lagos, Kogi), formulating regional industrial growth strategies, public-private partnership models, and trade policy alignment.
  • Local Capability Development & Youth Empowerment: Sponsor of regional technical skills initiatives across West Africa, focusing on training local talent in industrial safety standards, supply chain operations, and equipment maintenance.
  • Industrial Safety Culture & Environmental Governance: Advocate for environmental compliance and health, safety, and environmental (HSE) standards across Sub-Saharan African manufacturing and logistics networks.

References

Reference 1

  • Name: Ngozi Aghomi
  • Title: Supply Chain Director
  • Company: Guinness Ghana
  • Email: ngoziaghomi@gmail.com

Reference 2

  • Name: Adewale Ojo
  • Title: Director, Manufacturing Business Unit
  • Company: JOF Nigeria Limited
  • Email: Ojocfbc@yahoo.com

Timeline

Divisional Managing Director, Supply Chain [COO Tr

Food Concepts Plc
04.2024 - Current

Country Manager (Nigeria) / General Manager (West

Lori Systems Limited
11.2019 - 01.2023

Chief Operating Officer

Crest-Agro Products
01.2016 - 01.2018

Head of Supply Chain (West, East & Central Africa)

Kimberly-Clark SSA
01.2014 - 01.2016

Head of Procurement (North & East Africa)

Sanofi Aventis
01.2013 - 01.2016

Team Lead, Inbound Material Management & Sourcing

Nestle Nigeria Plc
01.2007 - 01.2013

Executive MBA - Business Administration / Executive Leadership

Lagos Business School (Pan-Atlantic University)

Full Member (MCIPS) - Strategic Sourcing & Supply Chain Management

Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS-

Master of Science - Economics (Best Graduating Student, Second Class U

University of Jos
LEONARD EBUTE