NIGERIA – Guinness Nigeria, a subsidiary of Diageo Plc of the UK has appointed Baker Magunda as the company’s new Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer effective 1 July 2018.

Baker succeeds Peter Ndegwa who gave his notice of resignation on 30th June 2018 and the Board accepted his resignation on the same date.

He joins Guinness Nigeria from Diageo owned Meta Abo Breweries in Ethiopia where he was the Managing Director.

A holder of a Bachelor of Economics [Honours] from Makerere University Uganda, Baker has nearly twenty years’ experience in the consumer goods and alcohol industry and has worked across Africa in Uganda and Kenya as well as Ethiopia and the Sudan.

After joining Diageo in 1999 as Marketing Manager, Uganda Breweries Limited, he has worked in senior leadership posts as Managing Director Kenya Breweries Limited, and Managing Director Diageo Guinness Cameroon SA.

“I would like to thank Peter for his transformational work over the past few years, he has led the business through challenging times and taken us forward.

It is great to see him moving on within Diageo.

I would also like to use this opportunity to welcome Baker to the role. I look forward to working with him,” said Guinness Nigeria Chairman Mr. Babatunde Abayomi Savage.

Commenting on his appointment Mr. Magunda noted: “I am delighted to be joining Guinness Nigeria at this time.

The team has worked hard to deliver change and progress in a complicated economic environment.

I look forward to continuing Peter and the team’s work when I formally join.

There is a lot to go after and as Nigeria’s only total beverage alcohol player, there is a great opportunity.”

Peter has worked at Guinness Nigeria for nearly three years and contributed greatly to the transformation of at the company, including the successful Rights Issue and implementation of the productivity programme.

It was under his tenure that the Foreign Extra Stout maker posted 18.6% growth in half-year sales for the 2017/18 financial year.

Baker is the latest to join Guinness Nigeria after Stanley Wanyaoike Njoroge who was appointed new Finance and Strategy Director.

In June, it commissioned a new Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plant costing US$18.07 million in the capital Lagos.