Guinness Nigeria Plc announces board changes, as new era begins with Tolaram

Following the grant of all requisite regulatory approvals, Guinness Nigeria PLC (the “Company”) is pleased to announce that the sale of Diageo’s shareholding in Guinness Nigeria to Tolaram has now been completed, effective 30th September 2024. In June 2024, Diageo and Tolaram announced a proposed transaction that would have Diageo transfer ownership of its 58.02% shareholding in Guinness Nigeria to Tolaram, making Tolaram the new majority shareholder, while establishing long-term license and royalty agreements for the Company’s continued production, marketing and sale of the Guinness brand and all its locally manufactured Diageo ready-to-drink and mainstream spirits brands in Nigeria.

The successful completion of the transaction marks the beginning of a new era for the Company’s longstanding presence in Nigeria where it has for over seven decades been intricately woven into the fabric of Nigerian culture and society. Guinness Nigeria, one of the most reputable corporate entities in Nigeria known for iconic brands like Guinness, Malta Guinness and Orijin remains firmly rooted in Nigeria and is set to continue its historic journey in the country, leveraging the vast experience and footprints of Tolaram.

Following the completion of the transaction today 30th September 2024, in a corporate action announcement approved by the Nigeria Exchange Limited for publication on the NGX Issuers portal, Guinness Nigeria PLC announced the following resignations from and appointments to its Board of Directors:

Resignations and Appointments
1 Mr Adebayo Alli – Managing Director/CEO Mr Girish Sharma -Managing Director/CEO

2 Ms Joan Hodgins – Non-Executive Director Mr Haresh Aswani – Vice Chair & Non-Executive Director

3 Mrs Grainne Wafer- Non-Executive Director Mr Deepak Singhal – Non-Executive Director

4 Mr Leo Breen – Non-Executive Director Mr John Musunga – Non-Executive Director

Commenting on the completion of the share transfer transaction and the newly constituted Board, Board Chair, Dr. Omobola Johnson remarked that “The Board, Management and employees of Guinness Nigeria are excited about what the future holds in this new era as we embrace the tremendous opportunities presented by the vast experience and decades of remarkable presence of Tolaram in Nigeria building great brands. We thank all the directors that are exiting the Board for their contributions to the growth of Guinness Nigeria and their tireless efforts to ensure a smooth transition for the share transfer transaction. Especially we commend Mr. Adebayo Alli, the outgoing Managing Director who during his short but remarkable tenure delivered a solid platform for the future growth of Guinness Nigeria. We wish him well as he moves into his exciting new role within Diageo Africa”.

Dr. Johnson also welcomed all the newly appointed Directors to the Board as the Board looks forward to their contributions in taking the business of the Company to new heights of growth, sustainability, and value creation for all stakeholders.

In the new appointments announced, Mr. Girish Sharma, a seasoned business leader with a track record of transformative leadership will assume the role of Managing Director/CEO. Mr. Sharma holds an MBA in Marketing from the University of Kent and executive leadership qualifications from Harvard, Stanford and Cambridge Universities, focusing on leadership, sustainability, and business management.

Until his appointment, Mr. Sharma was CEO of Tolaram’s joint venture with Colgate-Palmolive, delivering a remarkable 70 percent compound annual growth rate in top-line revenue year-on-year in the 5-year period since the inception of the Colgate-Palmolive Tolaram joint venture. Mr Sharma was also Chief Operating Officer of the Tolaram’s manufacturing company, Dufil, in which capacity he oversaw the growth of Tolaram’s flagship instant noodle brand, Indomie, to a household name and market leader in Nigeria and Ghana.

Also commenting on the new changes in the business, Mr. Haresh Aswani, Managing Director, Tolaram Africa, and newly appointed Vice-Chair of the Board of Guinness Nigeria PLC, expressed his delight at the completion of the share transfer transaction and the optimism that Guinness Nigeria is poised for a new era of growth and expansion that offers stakeholders enhanced value. He stated “This is indeed a remarkable milestone in the history of two great businesses in Guinness and Tolaram. We are excited about the possibilities that this partnership will bring for everyone associated with Guinness Nigeria including its shareholders, employees, and trade partners. The experience of Tolaram across the African continent over the last 50 years will inevitably be a positive boost to Guinness Nigeria in the coming years.”

About Guinness Nigeria Plc.

Guinness Nigeria is the foremost Total Beverage Alcohol company in Nigeria with a wide portfolio of non-alcohol and alcohol beverages including Guinness Foreign Extra Stout, Guinness Smooth, Malta Guinness, Orijin Bitters, Dubic Malt, Gordons Pink Berry, Gordons Orange Sunset, Smirnoff Ice, Smirnoff X1 Choco Vodka, Smirnoff Pine-apple Punch, amongst others.

With a very clear ambition – “To be one of the best performing, most trusted and respected consumer products companies in Nigeria”, Guinness Nigeria delivers on its sustainability and responsibility commitments focused on three areas: Promoting Positive Drinking, Championing Inclusion and Diversity and Pioneering Grain to Glass sustainability. The company continues to be a champion for responsible drinking and community development.

Guinness Nigeria, home of the first Guinness brewery outside of the British Isles, was established in 1950, making it one of the oldest serving manufacturing companies in Nigeria. The first bottle of Guinness Foreign Extra Stout in Nigeria was brewed in our Ogba Brewery in 1962, and in 1965, Guinness Nigeria was listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. In 1974, we built our second brewery in Benin and expanded it in 1978 to accommodate a second stout brewery. In 1982, we built our fourth Guinness brewery in Ogba, Lagos and expanded both the Benin and Ogba breweries to further increase capacity and meet the growing demand for Guinness Nigeria products in 2011. We have also recently expanded our installed spirits production capacity at our Benin and Ogba breweries, enhancing our capacity for innovative local spirits brands.