FESTUS ODIMEGWU:
First rate achiever
Festus Odimegwu,
managing director/chief executive officer, of Nigerian Breweries
Plc, the world class brewers of quality lager, has been able to
position the company in such a way that it now dominates the
brewing sector of the Nigerian economy and the West African
sub-region.
According to him, the
company does not only aspire to be the leading company in the
brewing sector, but to be the foremost Company in
Nigeria
which is of a world class.
Clearly, the company has
benefited immensely from the strategic alliance with Heineken
which has led to a massive injection of capital with concomitant
impressive performance. In
its last financial year, the company posted a mind-blowing profit
of over ten billion naira, making it without question the most
profitable company in
Nigeria
.
That Festus Odimegwu’s
tenure as the Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Breweries Plc
has brought glamour, style and uniqueness to the marketing drive
of the company is not an over-statement.
In a relatively short period, Odimegwu has led the company
to an intimidating height through excellent brand packaging, staff
development, corporate responsibility and unequalled marketing
strategies.
Odimegwu has led
Nigerian Breweries Plc to strike partnership with Heineken N.V.,
the world number one brewer and the fall-out is already
manifesting in the operations and performance of the company.
The Nigerian Breweries
Plc won the prestigious Nigerian Stock Exchange President Merit
Award as the sectoral leader in Brewery industry and also emerged
the NSE quoted company of the year 2001.
He is currently
implementing a modernization programme for Nigerian Breweries.
Millions of naira have been budgeted to upgrade the
company’s operational infrastructure, and the company is
currently constructing a N30 billion modern brewery factory in
Enugu
. When
completed, its impact on the national economy would be
overwhelming.
Nigerian Breweries Plc
is pre-eminent in larger, in Malt drinks and Stout.
The company is now focusing on these three areas and their
strategy is giving the company’s premium brands at affordable
prices to the consumers and the brands are available at all nooks
and crannies of
Nigeria
.
Focusing on the core
competence of the company which is lager, malt, and stout has
positioned the company strongly with an unassailable strategy that
has enabled the company to strengthen and actualize its vision of
becoming a world class company.
Nigerian Breweries Plc
systems and structure are team-based and information,
communication, and technology enabled.
The most important of all is the company’s strong belief
that best people are put in the best places.
Star, Gulder, and
Maltina are quality brands from the Nigerian Breweries Plc and no
doubt they have enjoyed a tremendous goodwill and acceptance
amongst the Nigerian consuming public.
The Company presently cannot meet the demands of Nigerians
and this has led the company to source for more funds to modernize
existing infrastructure and embark on the construction of new
ones. At the same time
the company’s information, communication and technology
infrastructure are being upgraded and improved upon.
The jewel in the crown
of this modernization is the new brewery in
Enugu
which is expected to be the most modern
brewery in the world on completion.
It will have a productivity of 18,000 hectolitres per FTE.
At the moment, the best brewery in the world produces
15,000 hectolitres. Nigerian
Breweries Plc is planning a great revolution in the brewery
industry. The
Enugu
factory is expected to start operations by the
end of this year.
Nigerian Breweries Plc
has been a good corporate citizen and it is one of the companies
that pays a lot of money in the form of tax to the government.
Last year, the company paid N6.08 billion as tax and excise
duties to the government at all levels in the federation.
The rise of NB’s
helmsman did not start today.
The first son of his parents, Festus Odimegwu was an
acclaimed scholar and a celebrated student who graduated with
first class honours in Chemistry from the
University
of
Nigeria
, Nsukka.
He
is married and has children.
Newswatch Special Feature, Friday, 15 November 2002
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