Getting to know Peter Cottan - ISL Board Member 2021

Peter Cottan has been the MD for various leading Agribusiness Institutions, such as Bata Farms and Lendor Limited. More recently, Mr Cottan was also at the helm of then Zambia’s leading Milling Company; National Milling, where he served as MD. 

Mr Cottan’s visionary guidance led National Milling to become the Market Leader in grain products in the Country. During his time at National Milling, he was the Chairman of the Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) and Chairman of the Anti-Smuggling Committee under the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) through the ZNFU Agribusiness Chamber. 

Mr Cottan is currently the Treasurer of the Millers Association of Zambia and a Trustee of the Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM). He joined Superior Milling as MD in October 2013. He has achieved great success in his career, having been instrumental in positioning the Zambian Economy in as far as Agro-Processing and Value Addition is concerned. His lobbying and assertiveness in promoting value addition and import substitution have been his forte through key policymakers in Government. 

During the Zambia Institute of Purchasing and Supply (ZIPS) Fifth National Conference held in Livingstone at Avani Victoria Falls Resort in 2016, he was a Keynote Speaker, reiterating on the promotion of Value Addition and import substitution. 

Recently Mr Cottan participated in the Zambia Agribusiness Boot camp as a judge adjudicating over 20 SMEs' who were intensely mentored and coached in business management, finance and marketing. The Boot camp was organized by BongoHive and AgriProFocus in partnership with the World Bank Group and Ministry of Commerce Trade and Industry (MCTI) under the Zambia Agribusiness and Trade Project (ZATP).

Mr Cottan has helped Superior Milling expand its market share by enlisting with all major Supermarkets in the country, and currently has a total of 84 Supermarkets on its distribution list. These include Shoprite, Pick n Pay, Game Stores, Spar, Cheers, Foodlovers and now Jumbo as the new Supermarket on the Zambian Market.

It was during Mr Cottan’s time that Superior Milling increased its production capacity from 3,000 tonnes/month to 9,000 tonnes/month and this increase in production capacity helped Superior Milling to grow using its market philosophy of “Taking Food to the People”.

Mr Cottan believes in a practical management style and ardently encourages employees to be passionate about their work that guarantees positive output. 

In addition to serving on the Board of Governors, Peter serves as the Board's Marketing & Strategy  Committee Chairperson.