Heinekens Netherlands, majority owner of Nigerian Breweries Plc, on Tuesday announced the appointment of Johan Antonie Doyer, former managing director of its Ethiopian subsidiary, who was recalled from retirement, to replace Nicolaas Vervelde, as MD/Chief Executive with effect from June 16, 2017.
A statement to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) by NB’s Company Secretary/Legal Adviser, Uaboi Agbebaku, dated May 9, 2017, said Doyer is an old guard in the Heineken Netherlands family, having joined the group in 1978 as Product Manager, from which he held increasingly senior marketing management positions in different regions.
For example, according to the statement, Doyer, who retired as MD of Heineken Ethiopia in July 2015, was formerly General Manager in Vietnam, followed by La Reunion, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chile and the Sedibeng Brewery in South Africa.
“While in Ethiopia, he was responsible for building the new company, integrated two acquired breweries, built a new brewery, launched new brands and oversaw the tripling of that company’s volume.
“He set the stage for the growth Heineken Ethiopia has recorded,” the statement added, following which the board expressed confidence in the ability of the new board to take the company to the next level.
The “wealth of experience stands him in a very good position to help the company with its twin strategy of cost leadership and market leadership towards sustaining the company’s leadership position in the market,” Agbebaku added.