The EABL board has announced that Mr. Seni Adetu, the CEO and Group Managing Director of East African Breweries Limited is on his way out. Mr. Adetu has been appointed the CEO and Group Managing Director of Guinness Nigeria PLC effective 1st July 2012. Following Mr. Adetu’s impending exit from East Africa’s largest branded alcohol beverage business, the board of directors has appointed Mr. Devlin Hainsworth, the current Managing Director of Guinness Nigeria as the CEO and Group Managing Director of East African Breweries Limited effective 1st July 2012.
Mr. Adetu, has led the Tusker beer maker since July 2009 and prior to that he served as Managing Director of Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited which he joined in August 2006 and Coca-Cola Company before that. Under his stewardship, EABL has risen to become the most capitalised company on the Nairobi Securities Exchange and the clear leader in the East African branded alcohol market. The EABL beer portfolio has grown steadily and the business has witnessed a remarkable growth in their portfolio of spirits. Most recently, EABL celebrated the successful acquisition of Serengeti Breweries Limited in Tanzania.
Mr. Hainsworth was the Managing Director of Guinness Ghana until 2006 when he became the Business Transformational Director for Diageo Africa. He then became the Managing Director of Guinness Nigeria in 2008 and continues to work there until he flies east to the Nairobi headquarters of EABL. Mr. Hainsworth will hit the ground running with EABL, facing a resurgence from competitors highlighted by the return of beer behemoth SAB Miller through their purchase of Crown Beverages under their South African subsidiary SAB (South African Breweries).