Beer Sectoral Group appoints Guinness Nigeria’s CEO Baker Magunda as group Chairman
NIGERIA – The Beer Sectoral Group (BSG), a section of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), has announced the appointment of Baker Magunda as Chairman of the group with effect from 1st August 2021.
The BSG is a trade association comprising beer manufacturers in Nigeria to include Guinness Nigeria Plc, Nigerian Breweries Plc, and International Breweries PLC.
Magunda will now head the group whose mission is to develop the beer industry by encouraging sound professional practice among members and building understanding of stakeholders to promote responsible drinking and the social acceptance of beverage alcohol in the society.
The new appointee is the current Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Guinness Nigeria Plc.
Prior to joining the Nigerian business, he was Managing Director of Diageo Ethiopia and the Indian Ocean Markets.
Magunda has also lent his leadership skills by becoming the Managing Director for Diageo’s businesses in Uganda, Kenya, Cameroon after serving in several marketing roles in the multinational alcoholic beverage company.
He started his career in Sales and Marketing at Coca-Cola Sabco in 1991 and was made Head of Sales in 1996 before joining Diageo in 1999.
Magunda gained his first degree in Economics at Makerere University in Uganda and attended IESE and Strathmore Business Schools for postgraduate studies in Business and Leadership.
In his new role, he replaces former BSG Chairman, Jordi Borrut Bel who has moved on from his position as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Breweries Plc, to take up new responsibilities within the Heineken Group.
Mr Bel completed his assignment in the company on the 30th of July, 2021 and handed over the helm of the company to Hans Essaadi, who joined Nigerian Breweries from Al Haram Beverages, the Heineken operating company in Egypt, where he is the Managing Director.
As BSG undertakes changes in its leadership role, in the backyard of Mr Magunda’s Guinness Nigeria, the Board of Directors recently announced the retirement of its long-serving and indefatigable Board Chair, Mr. Babatunde Savage.
After leading the board of Diageo’s Nigerian operating unit for over a decade, Mr. Savage was replaced by the former Minister of Communication & Technology of Nigeria and Guinness Nigeria Board member, Dr. Omobola Johnson, who assumed the role of Board Chair with effect from 1st July 2021.
Dr. Johnson has over 30 years’ experience in both the private and public sectors of the Nigerian economy, bringing a wealth of experience to the position.
