Meet Engen Namibia’s new MD

Engen, Namibia’s leading marketer of liquid fuels and lubricants, has announced the appointment of Christian Li as its new managing director in Namibia.
ELIZABETH JOSEPH
Elizabeth JosephLi holds a Bachelor of Engineering honours degree in production technology and mechanical engineering and an MBA.

He started working in the petroleum industry at Total in Mauritius as a consumer sales manager, before moving to Chevron. Amongst various roles at Chevron, he was a district manager in Mauritius and the MD in the Republic of Congo.

In 2011, Li served as the marketing manager on the island nation.

He was later appointed key account manager: commercial and then as commercial business development manager in Cape Town, but focused on Engen’s business outside South Africa.

General manager of Engen’s International business division, Drikus Kotze, is in no doubt that the company’s Namibian business will benefit from Li’s leadership qualities and considerable experience, as well as his relentless energy and positive outlook.

With over 20 years’ experience, spanning the retail and lubricants side of the downstream oil business, as well as the commercial side, inclusive of special products, marine and aviation, Li has been charged with the challenging task of maintaining Engen’s market position in Namibia and leading the company’s next phase of growth.

“I look forward to strengthening Engen’s value proposition and relationships with customers and partners, in order to consolidate our leadership position in Namibia.

“We plan to ensure that we not only have the best retail footprint in Namibia but also the best in class in terms of fuels, convenience offerings, innovations, business solutions and services,” Li said.

He takes the helm at an exciting time in the development of the Namibian market.

“I like diversity and respect individuality, which has allowed me to learn a lot as well as to mentor many people. I am also results-oriented and always believe that all problems have at least one solution.”

Li says his immediate plans are to drive the team spirit and dynamism amongst staff and to build a customer-facing culture, emphasising safety, reliability and operational excellence.

“We also built a bulk fuel facility in the west, in Swakopmund, which services key industries in the area. The facility includes a storage capacity for lubricants and a pipeline to nearby mining activities as, well as loading facilities,” Li said.

He is passionate about travelling and is a self-confessed foodie.

Li is a people’s person with a positive attitude and boundless passion.

“Plans afoot are engagement of our dealer network and further development of the Namibian convenience market. In a heavily price-regulated market, the company will also continue engaging actively with government on margin-affecting issues,” Kotze added.

Engen has distributed fuels and lubricants in Namibia for over 100 years. Currently the company operates 58 service stations in the country, of which 31 have Quickshops.