By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Mr Jordi Borrut Bel has been announced as the new Managing Director/CEO of Nigerian Breweries Plc.
This appointment was announced in a statement issued on Monday by the company’s Corporate Affairs Adviser, Mr Kufre Ekanem.
Mr Borrut Bel replaces Mr Johan Doyer, who has served as Managing Director/CEO of the firm on an interim basis since June 16, 2017.
His appointment takes effect on January 22, 2018 and the Board of Directors of NB Plc has already informed the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) of this change.
Mr Borrut Bel is currently the Managing Director of HEINEKEN’s subsidiary in Burundi, Brarudi S.A. and a Board member of Bralirwa Limited, Rwanda, also a HEINEKEN subsidiary in Rwanda.
He joined HEINEKEN Spain in 1997 as Sales Representative and subsequently held increasingly senior management positions in different countries, first as Distribution Project Manager in Slovakia, Brand Manager in France and Trade Marketing Manager at the Head Office in The Netherlands.
In 2006, he returned to HEINEKEN Spain where he evolved in the organization and eventually became the On-Premise and Distribution Director and a member of the Management Team.
Mr Borrut Bel was appointed the Managing Director of Brarudi S.A. in 2015 and has successfully led the company through a very turbulent period, strengthening the company’s route-to-market and launching successful innovations.
The statement said the board was confident that Mr Borrut Bel’s track record and broad experience stand him in a very good position to drive Nigerian Breweries Plc’ strategy and consolidate its leadership position in the Nigerian market.
In a related development, the company also announced the resignations of Mr Victor Famuyibo (Human Resource Director) and Mr Hubert Eze (Sales Director) from the Board with effect from January 27, 2018 and January 31, 2018 respectively.
While Mr Famuyibo’s resignation follows from his attaining the Company’s mandatory retirement age of 60 years, Mr Eze’s resignation is preparatory to his taking up a higher role in the HEINEKEN organisation.
The NSE was further notified that Mrs Grace Omo-Lamai and Mr Uche Unigwe have been appointed as part of the Management Team of the company in the positions of Human Resource Director and Sales Director respectively.
Mrs Omo-Lamai joined the company on October 23, 2017 from Nigerian Bottling Company Ltd, where she was the Director of Human Resources.
On the other hand, Mr Unigwe, joined NB Plc in 1989 as a Trainee Brewer. He is currently the General Manager, HEINEKEN East Africa, based in Nairobi. He resumes in his role as Sales Director on January 15, 2018.
Adedapo Adesanya