Explore the story of Nelson, our Operation Manager in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), discover the subtilities of his leadership and dive into his enlightening reflections on the strategic challenges and opportunities offered by the DRC within CIS.

How long have you been working for CIS Group in the DRC? Can you tell us about your career path and how it has evolved?

It is very fascinating to me to note that before my journey into the catering industry all I knew about food was to sit down in a restaurant to order a meal.

My first degree was in mechanical engineering. By chance, I was offered a job opportunity in the food service sector, initially in the warehouse. I was soon
appointed warehouse supervisor while continuing my studies.

Then I was quickly proposed and recommended for Assistant Camp-boss training which gave the opportunity to learn the daily documentation aspect of the catering industry during this time everything was done based on ledgers system, no computers system.

My first experience in the CIS Group was in Guinea Conakry in 2011

I also developed an interest in learning basic catering essentials on cooking, salads preparation and baking including event planning. Following my training, I went on to become camp manager, which enabled me to go on overseas missions to Gabon and Congo Brazzaville.

After receiving my first merit award as the company’s best employee in 1996, I was really motivated to pursue my career in catering. So I took the initiative of obtaining a diploma in hotel and restaurant management.

My first experience in the CIS Group was in Guinea Conakry in 2011, then I moved to the DRC in 2014, so that makes 10 years. My career progression in DRC has been remarkably interesting and phenomenal. I started off as a Co-Site Manager in our project, during which I also provided my support by supervising other remote sites within and outside the operations until I was promoted to the responsibility of Operations manager in the year 2022.

What does your role as Operations Manager entail and what are your day-to-day missions?

My role as Operations Manager includes but not limited to the following:

• Ensuring that our employees understand the core values and procedures of the CIS Group.
• Continuously monitor and revise operational strategies (purchasing, inventory, QHSE, contracts, finance, etc.)

Can you tell us about a recent challenge you faced in the DRC and how you overcame it? What lessons have you learned for the future?

The most recent challenge in the DRC have been the need to mitigating the impact of inflation on operational costs while maintaining acceptable client satisfaction levels. Consolidating on CIS procedure and processes and our cost saving initiatives with a continual review on high volume consumable products and menus, minimalizing excess including strong engagement and teamwork have been essential in our progress in mitigating this impact. The lessons learnt are the critical importance of building a strong committed competent and devoted team who objectively focus on every day-to-day activity.

What is your most vivid memory of your career with CIS so far?

My vivid memory in CIS includes the progression that we have made in Technological advancement, innovations, tools that are helpful for backend monitoring for reporting, unlike in the good old days of ledger system in the industry when we only have calculators & pen. Now in CIS we have an advanced Supply Chain Management system, Menus engineering etc.., trainings that facilitates human capital development.

CIS is a family with a highly valued, competent and passionate team.

Maintaining a good working relationship with my principal’s which remain remarkable in my career evolution is essential.

Is there any advice you would give to someone starting out in this sector?

‘It is not a walk in the park’ consequently, you are in-between hammer, managing Profit & loss while balancing customers satisfaction could be a serious task. So, you must be mentally ready to confront daily challenges, which require huge commitment, one must be empirical, resilient, initiative-taking, and committed to the objectives of the company. You must be a team-leader to get efficient results and most importantly you must gain the trust of your principal’s, your team, and your Client for the company advancement, because the absence of a teamwork is a recipe for failure.

It is important to note that operations are one of the vital representatives of the catering industry

Do you have a favorite quote that you try to apply to your everyday life?

Hahaha, “So far, so good,’’ because to me life could be compared to that of a chess game, every move could be your last move. So, I am always steered by intelligence, energy & integrity.