Guinness Nigeria has revealed the appointment of Mr. Adebayo Alli as its new Managing Director, marking the return of a Nigerian MD for the first time since 2015.
The announcement follows the transition of John Musunga, the outgoing MD of Guinness Nigeria, who has moved to assume the role of Diageo Africa’s Managing Director for Southern, West, and Central Africa.
The board made this announcement after a meeting held on Monday, November 27, 2023. Adebayo Alli is scheduled to assume his new role within the company on January 1, 2024, according to the corporate filing on the NGX’s website, signed by the Company Secretary, Abidemi Ademola.
Profile of Adebayo Alli:
Adebayo Alli, a mechanical engineer, graduated with a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Ibadan and an MSc in Advanced Process Engineering from Loughborough University, UK. He commenced his journey with Diageo, the owner of Guinness Nigeria, in 2005 as a Packaging Operations Support Manager. Over the years, he has held various roles, including a project lead for a business transformation project in Meta Abo Brewery Limited, Ethiopia. His career progression includes serving as a plant manager at Meta Abo Brewery in 2014 and subsequently becoming the Supply Chain Director in 2015.
Upon his return to Nigeria in 2017, Adebayo assumed the role of Operations Director at Guinness Nigeria before diversifying into general management. He ventured into multiple senior commercial sales positions within Guinness Nigeria PLC, including a brief tenure between 2019 and 2020 as the Director for IPS, Reserve & Modern Trade. In 2020, Adebayo Alli ascended to the position of Commercial Director at Guinness Nigeria.
Notable Details:
The last Nigerian MD of Guinness Nigeria was Seni Adetu, who served from 2012 to 2015. Subsequently, non-Nigerian MDs held the position, including John O’Kefee (Irish), Peter Ndegwa (Kenyan), Baker Magunda (Kenyan), and John Musunga (Kenyan).
Guinness Nigeria Plc is predominantly owned by Diageo Plc, holding a 58% stake. Historically, the Managing Director of Guinness Nigeria also served as the head of the Diageo brand in the country. However, Diageo’s decision to discontinue its import deal with Guinness Nigeria prompted the creation of a new “wholly owned spirits-focused business” to handle the importation and distribution of premium spirits brands in West and Central Africa. John Musunga is presumed to head this new venture.
