Ending the pandemic-hit year on a positive note, Ali Bin Ali Beverages won the prestigious PepsiCo Award. The award recognized employees and bottling partners for living their professional lives by PepsiCo values. The team leadership, management and frontliners were also recognized for their dedication and performance under Covid-19 duress.
In November 2020, at a special dinner gathering held at ABA Hospitality’s Em Sherif Restaurant, PepsiCo’s Senior Leadership awarded ABA Beverages team for their tremendous efforts since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nothing was more fitting than to recognize the total engagement of ABA Beverages employees and supervisors who were locked in at the Street 2 Plant in the Industrial Area, and had the responsibility to run the two filling lines without being able to return to their homes and families for 10 long weeks.
Ahmad Suleiman, a recently hired young production supervisor, exhibited maturity and composure, making the right decisions on many critical occasions. Julito Calimpong De Asis and Thavaseelan Thangarajah both exhibited admirable motivation, focus and calm. Eracleo Malco Hinola’s wife gave birth to their son while ‘Leo’ was locked up at the plant and doing his duty.
A team of 50 people found themselves unable to leave the site, working diligently to ensure a continuous supply of beverages. As a result, at no point during the Covid-19 crisis did the consumers in Qatar find themselves unable to get their favorite beverages in their regular shopping place.
Even the installation and commissioning of a newly acquired, state-of-the-art filling line was halted by the lockdown. Initially, Madhu Sethumadhavan and his team worked remotely to guide the technicians on site, then eventually joined them to complete the installation and start production of Aquafina water without the planned help of the equipment supplier.
President & General Manager of PepsiCo Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan, Mr. Aamer Sheikh, said: “The ABA Beverages team’s clear focus to get things done has had a large part to play in our joint success at being able to steady the supply chain, stay the course on make, sell & deliver, and reinforce our commitment to our consumers by providing their favorite beverage at a place of their choice.
“While dealing with various operating restrictions, the team acted with integrity, kept employees and consumers safe, and made donations that have made a positive impact where it was needed. We are pleased to recognize the truly heroic efforts of the ABA Beverages team during these exceptional times. While we may not be fully out of the challenges yet, there is no better time than while it is still fresh in our minds to say a simple thank you to the ‘PepsiCo Heroes’.”
The Division also used the occasion to internally recognize and celebrate the dedication and commitment of many more heroes during the Covid-19 pandemic. Sabine Winner Neuhaus, Abdel Hamid Chariout, Ahmed Salmaan, Tarek Hassan Elashry, Hesham Mahmoud Reda, Jerry Moan Koshy, Anan Mahdi Masoud, Antesh Bakshi, Nabil Hassan Ekky, Ihab Moustafa Amin, Dileep Sadasivan Pillai and through them all their teams were awarded for their good work.
After taking on the challenges related to the blockade, the implementation of the excise tax on carbonated beverages and the Covid-19 pandemic, the ABA Beverages leadership and employees are ready for more. Hopefully, these challenges will be positive ones such as the 2022 World Cup as well as the line extensions planned for the next three years.
Well done Team ABA Beverages, you made the whole Group proud!
