Alexander B. Cummings Jr.

Last updated

Alexander B. Cummings Jr.
Alexander B. Cummings Jr.png
Alexander B. Cummings Jr. in July 2017
Standard Bearer of the ANC Liberia
Assumed office
2017
Personal details
Born (1956-12-07) 7 December 1956 (age 67)
Monrovia, Liberia
Political party ANC
SpouseTeresa Cummings
Children
2
  • Ayo
  • Boikai
Alma mater Cuttington University (BA)
Clark-Atlanta University (MBA)
OccupationBusinessman
ProfessionFinancial analyst
Facebook votecummings
Twitter vote_cummings
Instagram votecummings
Website alexanderbcummings.com
Nickname(s)Talk and Do, ABC.

Alexander Benedict Cummings Jr. (born 7 December 1956) is a Liberian politician, businessman and philanthropist. He is the Standard Bearer of Liberia's Alternative National Congress.

Contents

Born in Monrovia Liberia, Cummings studied at Cuttington University College in Liberia before leaving for the United States to further his studies at the Northern Illinois University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Economics. He earned an MBA in Finance from Clark-Atlanta University.

Cummings worked for over 40 years in international business. He retired from Coca-Cola as its Chief Administrator in 2016, after a twenty years long career with the organisation. [1]

He currently serves as Chairman of the Cummings Africa Foundation. [2]

Early life and education

Alexander B. Cummings Jr. was born in Montserrado County in Liberia's capital Monrovia to Alexander B. Cummings Sr., an educator, and Ayo, a midwife and small business owner. He spent his early years in Monrovia's deprived Point Four neighbourhood before studying at a Monrovia's Demonstration primary school in Montserrado County. His first introduction to business was by his mother, who leveraged him to go door-to-door to collect payment from customers and keep track of sales. [3]

He attended high school at the College of West Africa, where he participated in various social and intellectual activities and served yearly as a class officer including first as class senator, then treasurer and eventually senior class president. After graduation from high school, he matriculated to Cuttington University College for two years before leaving for the United States to further his studies at the Northern Illinois University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Economics. He returned to the United States to further his studies and earned an MBA in Finance from Clark-Atlanta University.

Business career

Upon graduation from Northern Illinois University he returned home and worked for two years at the Liberian Development Bank, until the tail-end of the 1980s. In the 1970s, Cummings returned to the US to attend Atlanta University where he received his MBA in Finance. He began his international business career, which took him to the Nigeria, Kenya, Morocco, UK and South Africa. Cummings began working for The Pillsbury Company in 1982, his last position being Vice-President of Finance for all of Pillsbury's international businesses.

Cummings joined Coca-Cola Co. in 1997 as Deputy Region Manager, Nigeria based in Lagos, Nigeria and managing director/Region Manager, Nigeria in 1998. He became President of Coca-Cola's Africa Group in 2001. He served as Chief Administrative Officer of the Coca-Cola Company from 1 July 2008 to 31 March 2016 and as its Executive Vice-President from July 2002 to 31 March 2016. As Chief Administrative Officer, he consolidated oversight of key global corporate functions including Legal, People, Strategic Planning, Information Technology, Strategic Security, Sustainability and Technical. Cummings led a period of strong growth in Coca-Cola's Africa business, overseeing critical investments in marketing and infrastructure across 56 African countries and territories from 2001 to 2008. [4]

Mr. Cummings served on the boards of, CARE and Clark Atlanta University. He also is a board member of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. and a former board member of The Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, a publicly traded bottler of The Coca-Cola Company (NASDAQ). He is a member of their Executive Leadership Council.

He previously served as a Board Member of the Africa-America Institute, Chevron, Africare, the Corporate Council on Africa, and the US-Egypt Business Council, on the Advisory Board at The African Presidential Archives & Research Center and on the Center for Global Development's Commission on US Policy toward Low-Income Poorly Performing States (LIPPS),Sabathani Community Center in Minneapolis, MN, USA [5]

He also served as an Independent Director of Chevron Corporation from 10 December 2014 until 27 April 2016, and as a Director of International Bank (Liberia) Limited.

Political career

Currently running for president of Liberia, as the standard bearer of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), Cummings became the political leader of the Alternative National Congress in 2015, and announced his bid to run for president in 2016. [6] After holding a county-by-county national presidential primary election, the first of its kind in Liberia, Alexander B. Cummings was endorsed as the Standard Bearer of the Alternative National Congress in Kakata, Margibi on 29 April 2017. In 2023, he is running for president in the Liberian 2023 General election with Charlyne Brumskine as his running mate.

Philanthropy

Cummings has a long history of philanthropy and supporting his home country Liberia, globally; supporting funding for water projects and providing students scholarships in Liberia, and donating to various causes including the African Methodist Episcopal University's Innovation Center named in his honour. [7]

Presidential candidate Alex B. Cummings, mingles with the crowd as he tours West Point neighbourhood with his wife Teresa. West Point was a hotbed for Ebola during the crisis. Alex Cummings.jpg
Presidential candidate Alex B. Cummings, mingles with the crowd as he tours West Point neighbourhood with his wife Teresa. West Point was a hotbed for Ebola during the crisis.

In 2011, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf conferred on Mr. Cummings the distinction of Knight Great Band – Humane Order of African Redemption; the medal is one of the highest honours in Liberia and is awarded for humanitarian work in Liberia, for acts supporting and assisting the Liberian nation.

During Cummings' time at Coca-Cola Africa, he oversaw the creation of The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation in response to the growth and impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. In 2001, the Foundation established an extensive healthcare program for Coca-Cola workers affected by HIV/AIDS and related conditions across Africa in addition to supporting HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness throughout local communities. Today, The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation is the largest regional foundation within Coca-Cola's global network with a focus on clean water, health education and entrepreneurship. Since 2001, it has granted more than $100 million (~$164 million in 2023) to support sustainable communities in Africa.

He launched the Cummings Africa Foundation in 2015 with his wife Teresa Cummings, and their two children Boikai and Ayo Cummings. The Cummings Foundation focuses on empowering and uplifting Africans in health, education, agriculture, and the arts. Since its formation, the foundation has invested over one million U.S. dollars in projects in Africa, including facilitating the construction of a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) academic institution, the first of its kind in Liberia.

Personal life

Cummings has been married to Teresa Cummings for over 35 years. Together they have two children – Ayo and Boikai Cummings and five grandchildren.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monrovia</span> Capital, chief port, and the largest city of Liberia

Monrovia is the administrative capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liberia’s total population. Its Metro Area including Montserrado and Margibi counties largely being urbanized, was home to 2,225,911 inhabitants as of the 2022 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montserrado County</span> County in Liberia

Montserrado County is a county in the northwestern portion of the West African nation of Liberia containing its national capital, Monrovia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has 17 sub political districts. As of the 2022 Census, it had a population of 1,920,914, making it the most populous county in Liberia. The area of the county measures 738.5 square miles (1,913 km2), the smallest in the country. Bensonville serves as the capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bayes Business School</span> Business school in London

Bayes Business School, formerly known as Cass Business School, is the business school of the City, University of London, located in St Luke's, just to the north of the City of London. It was established in 1966, and it is consistently ranked as one of the leading business schools in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bong County</span> County of Liberia

Bong is a county in the north-central portion of the West African nation of Liberia. One of 15 counties that comprise the first-level of administrative division in the nation, it has twelve districts. Gbarnga serves as the capital. The area of the county measures 8,772 square kilometres (3,387 sq mi). As of the 2022 Census, it had a population of 467,502, making it the third-most populous county in Liberia. The county was organized in 1964 and is important for its mining industry.

Harry Varney Gboto-Nambi Sherman is a Liberian politician and the former chairman of the Unity Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Liberia</span> National university in Liberia

The University of Liberia is a publicly funded institution of higher learning located in Monrovia, Liberia. Authorized by the national government in 1851, the university opened in 1862 as Liberia College. UL has four campuses: the Capitol Hill Campus in Monrovia, the Fendall campus in Louisiana, outside Monrovia, the Medical School Campus in Congo Town, and the Straz-Sinje Campus in Sinje Grand Cape Mount County. The university enrolls approximately 18,000 students and is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in West Africa. It is accredited by the Liberian Commission on Higher Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuttington University</span> Private university in Suacoco, Liberia

Cuttington University is a private university in Suacoco, Liberia. Founded in 1889 as Cuttington College by the Episcopal Church of the United States (ECUSA), it is the oldest private, coeducational, four-year, degree-granting institution in sub-Saharan Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James A. A. Pierre</span> Liberian judge (1908–1980)

James Alexander Adolphus Pierre was the 13th Chief Justice of Liberia, serving from 1971 until his death in 1980. He had previously served as the Attorney General of Liberia from 1964 to 1971 in the administration of William Tubman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Point, Monrovia</span> Township in Montserrado, Liberia

West Point is a township of the Liberian capital city of Monrovia, located on a 0.53 km2 peninsula which juts out into the Atlantic Ocean between the Mesurado and Saint Paul rivers. West Point is one of Monrovia's most densely populated slums.

Albert Porte was an Americo-Liberian political journalist and dissident who was the editor of the Crozerville Observer. In 1946, he became the first Liberian journalist to be imprisoned by President William Tubman. The first major movement toward civil society in Liberia is traced back to Porte's activities.

Kenneth Yakpawolo Best is a Liberian journalist who founded the Liberian newspaper The Daily Observer and a paper of the same name in The Gambia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benoni Urey</span> Americo-Liberian businessman and politician

Benoni Wilfred Urey is an Americo-Liberian businessman and politician, who was formerly the Liberian Commissioner of Maritime Affairs. In 2014 The Economist reported that Urey was Liberia's wealthiest man.

Dorothy Harriet Eugenia Musuleng Cooper was a Liberian educator, politician and the first woman to serve as Foreign Minister in Liberia. She was born at Arthington, Liberia and obtained her B.S. and M.S. from College of West Africa and San Francisco State University respectively. She worked as a school teacher between graduation and high school and matriculation in 1964 in San Francisco in 1964, curriculum development in the Ministry of Education, and principal of Cuttington University College. She was an education minister in Charles Taylor's shadow government from 1990 to 1993 in the National Patriotic Reconstruction Assembly Government

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Liberian general election</span>

General elections were held in Liberia on 10 October 2017 to elect the President and House of Representatives. No candidate won a majority in the first round of the presidential vote, so the top two finishers – CDC standard-bearer Amb. George Weah and UP standard-bearer Vice President Joseph Boakai – competed in a run-off on 26 December. The second round was originally scheduled for 7 November, but was postponed after LP standard-bearer Cllr. Charles Brumskine, in third place, challenged the result in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court dismissed the challenge, which would have forced a re-run of the first round had it been successful, and the second round was held on 26 December. Weah emerged victorious with 60% of the vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burgess Carr</span> Liberian priest and professor

The Reverend Canon Burgess Carr was a Liberian-born priest, religious leader, and professor. He was Secretary-General of the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) from 1971 to 1978 and, in 1972, moderated the Addis Ababa Agreement, which ended the First Sudanese Civil War (1955–1972).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sie-A-Nyene Yuoh</span> Liberian judge

Sie-A-Nyene Gyapay Yuoh is a Liberian judge and politician who currently serves as chief justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia and was nominated on August 23, 2022. She began to serve after the retirement of former chief justice Francis Korkpor on September 27, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremiah Sulunteh</span> Liberian politician

Jeremiah Congbeh Sulunteh is the Vice Standard Bearer of Liberia's Alternative National Congress (ANC) political party, and was its vice presidential candidate for the 2017 Liberia presidential elections. Sulunte's career in the areas of administration, teaching, and politics spans more than 30 years. For more than 3 decades he has been a politician, administrator and academician. Sulunteh served as the Minister of Transport from 2006 to 2008 in Liberia under Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and late as a Minister of Post and Telecommunications from 2008 to 2010, and as Minister of Labor from 2010 to 2012 before his appointment to Ambassador of Liberia in the United States of America in March 2012.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Monrovia, Liberia.

Jonathan Bau-Bau Bonaparte Hart is a Liberian Episcopalian bishop. He has been Archbishop and Primate of the Church of the Province of West Africa since 3 March 2019.

References

  1. "Biography: Alexander B Cummings" . Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  2. "Alexander B. Cummings CV". 19 September 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  3. "Alexander B. Cummings – The free-marketeer presidential candidate hoping to transform Liberia", IB Times UK, 23 January 2017.
  4. "The Coca Cola Company". 19 September 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  5. "Bloomberg". 19 September 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  6. "Alexander B. Cummings’ Endorsement As ANC Standard Bearer Receives Overwhelming Support Nationwide", GNN Liberia, 19 May 2017.
  7. "Cummings Africa Foundation". 19 September 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2017.