Meet Eve Yankah

We catch up with Eve Yankah CEO at BEPPS Snacks who unpacks her journey as a high performing leader in the boardroom and beyond. Eve shares some advice with our community & sheds light on what it means to build a successful career.

Eve Yankah, CEO at BEPPS Snacks

1. You’re currently the CEO at BEPPS Snacks, describe what that entails on a daily basis.

A lot of juggling of different projects at one time but what I love about that is no day is ever the same.

2. How did you figure out this is what you wanted to do with your career/life?

I knew from a young age that I wanted to be an entrepreneur, I have always loved the idea of creating a product that other people love and enjoy; its a very fulfilling feeling.

3. What are some of your proudest achievements to date?

Definitely proudest moments to date have been launching BEPPS into both Tesco and Selfridges, both are polar opposites positioning and customer wise but they both loved the BEPPS brand! I have always wanted to have a brand in Selfridges, its such an iconic store and not a lot of crisps brands get to say they are in Selfridges, they’ve been a big supporter of the brand and Tesco was our first ever listing in the brand and gave us an amazing 400 store distribution from day 1 and backed the brand.

Outside of work/world of BEPPS, my kids are definitely my proudest achievements, they challenge me daily and inspire me to be a better version of myself to hopefully one day inspire them.

4. One of the most challenging obstacles you’ve had to overcome in your career?

Well some that come to mind… Brexit, Covid, inflation and potentially a Third World War; its definitely one of the most turbulent times to be a start up / challenger brand and so I don’t take any of the funding/investor or retailer support we’ve received to date for granted. Its definitely a tough time for a lot of us founders but you just have to continue to put one foot in front of the other.

5. It’s no secret that women haven’t always had the same access to opportunities, do you feel this has changed? If so, how?

I can only speak for myself here, but I’ve always had the mindset, maybe naively, to be a go getter, knock down every door, email the CEO of every company and go after every opportunity, ignoring glass ceilings and biases and have always hoped that my passion, experience, personality and determination shone through to cut through. However I do know, even within our industry that there are challenges for women to access the same level of funding that men receive, FMCG has predominantly been a bit of boys club but there have been some amazing female founders and senior management / Execs within FMCG who continue to break barriers and there are also a lot of men in this industry who are very supportive and have backed female founders; which I think is amazing.

6. What are some of the things allies could do better to create a more truly inclusive environment?

If your an ally in the work place, maybe giving more women the opportunity to own key projects and get put forward for the bigger, more senior roles in the business and if you’re an ally to founders, why not offer your time, be a mentor or an investor to more female founded teams coming up in the industry.

7. What are some of the things that other women could be doing to help?
Being supportive and compassionate to your peers and their life decisions, I have seen women with kids be held to the same standard as women without and whilst both are more than equally capable its not a level playing field and so just because your colleague with kids may not be in the office until 5pm every day doesn’t mean they’re not making up for that work in the evenings after the kids have gone to bed. The great thing about being a woman is we really can do it all, but not all at the same time - it really does take a village and a supportive ecosystem around you.

8. A leader that you look up to and why?

I think Sam is an amazing leader, he not only continues to grow and excel in his own career but still finds the time to nurture and pioneer growth for a whole new set of founders and teams from diverse backgrounds in FMCG and he’s always at the end of a WhatsApp or email, I don’t know how he finds the time but he’s great and hopefully one day I can also support new founders coming up.

9. We love a bit of advice - so, what would you say to ladies across the world, with similar ambitions and aspirations?

Believe in yourself and be your own biggest cheerleader, as women we often lean into doubt or second guessing ourselves or our experience. Always re-negotiate, whether its for your next role, a pay rise or investment terms, never take the first offer. And lastly, don’t be so hard on yourself, as women we juggle many hats and roles, some of us, like me.. at home with kids and I always find myself feeling guilty re time management between my kids and my business but I know one day they’ll both see what I did and be proud because its not easy but I guess nothing worth having is!

10. On a lighter note: Netflix series you’ve recently watched and how did you rate it?

I have a couple I’ve been binge watching recently all very different genres from The Witcher, to Selling Sunset to the Queen’s Gambit I highly recommend all three!