Nigerian Breweries Appoints Lawal As Sales Director

Nigerian Breweries Plc yesterday announced the appointment of Mr. Ayodele Lawal as its new sales director.

In a statement by the company, Lawal’s appointment takes effect from May 1, 2023.The statement also disclosed that he will be responsible for overseeing Nigerian Breweries’ Sales strategy and execution across Nigeria. Mr. Lawal replaces Mr. Uche Unigwe, who is retiring from the company on attaining the mandatory retirement age.

Speaking on the transition, the managing director of Nigerian Breweries, Hans Essaadi paid tribute to the outgoing sales director, Uche Unigwe, saying – “During his long and illustrious career, Uche has been an instrumental part of the growth and success of Nigerian Breweries. He has been a dedicated and inspiring leader, with a wealth of knowledge and experience that has helped to shape our company’s future.’’

‘‘Under his leadership, the sales team has achieved remarkable milestones and played a crucial role in launching new products, expanding our market share, and driving the growth of our business. We will truly miss his passion, energy, and unwavering commitment to excellence. As he embarks on a new phase of his life, the company is grateful to Uche Unigwe for his contributions to our growth and we wish him the best in his future endeavours following his well-deserved retirement,” said Essaadi.

The incoming sales director, Mr. Ayodele Lawal brings with him over 30 years of experience in brewing and sales functions. He has held several senior sales roles in the company and the parent company – Heineken. He started his career with the company in 1991 as a brewer and thereafter made a cross-functional move to sales as a Field sales manager, rising through the ranks to the position of Regional Business Manager in Central, West, Lagos, and Port Harcourt regions.

In 2017, he was seconded to Heineken Vietnam and later in the same year, he was appointed national sales manager BRANA (Heineken OpCo in Haiti) before becoming in 2018, the sales director for Haiti. He returned to Nigeria in 2021 to take up the role of Zonal Business Manager, North, and thereafter, the zonal business manager, West.

Speaking on the new appointment, managing director of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Hans Essaadi congratulated Mr. Lawal on his new appointment, saying, “We are thrilled to have Ayodele take on the role of sales director. He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the position, having held senior roles in Sales both at Nigerian Breweries and HEINEKEN. His leadership and business acumen will undoubtedly drive further growth and innovation for our company.”