Nigerian Breweries Plc has announced the appointment of Nkechi Runsewe as its new Human Resources Director, effective August 1, 2026. Runsewe, who is transferring directly from the parent company, The HEINEKEN Company, succeeds Grace Omo-Lamai. Omo-Lamai will officially retire on July 28, 2026, closing out a highly successful ten-year tenure marked by significant advancements in the company’s regional workplace standards and employer brand value.
According to a formal statement issued by Corporate Affairs Director Uzo Odenigbo, Runsewe will join the executive committee at a critical operational moment. Her primary focus will be aligning the company’s human capital assets with its long-term EverGreen 2030 strategy, optimizing organizational design, building leadership capabilities, and introducing high-performance systems to support volume growth and cost management amid current macroeconomic shifts.
1. Transnational Leadership: Injecting Global Talent Management Principles
Runsewe returns to the Nigerian market with extensive international experience in organizational development and workforce planning. In her recent role as Global Head of Talent Management at HEINEKEN, she led initiatives to secure long-term leadership continuity and build robust talent pipelines across the group’s international operating companies.
During her global tenure, Runsewe established a strong track record as an advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Her focus on integrating diverse representation into core business metrics directly supported HEINEKEN’s talent benchmarks, resulting in regional management teams that achieved over 65 per cent local national representation across diverse operational territories.
2. Multi-Sector Expertise in Agile Environments
Runsewe’s career is built on broad, multi-industry experience in corporate transformation across several sectors. This background gives her the unique perspective needed to manage complex workforce requirements in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) markets.
The table below outlines her professional progression and the strategic capabilities she brings to her new role at Nigerian Breweries Plc:
| Leadership Era & Domain | Key Corporate Brands | Core Operational Focus Area | Strategic Advantage for PFI/EverGreen |
| Global Enterprise Strategy | The HEINEKEN Company | Global Head of Talent Management & Regional Talent Lead for Africa, Middle East, and Eastern Europe (AMEE). | Deep experience standardizing leadership pipelines and talent mobility frameworks across highly diverse markets. |
| Consumer Goods & Beverages | Diageo | Senior Human Resources and Talent Management Lead. | Strong understanding of commercial value drivers and high-performance cultures within the beverage industry. |
| Media & Content Distribution | M-Net Africa | Executive People Management & Business Consultation Support. | Experience shaping employee engagement models to match rapid shifts in regional media markets. |
| Telecommunications & Tech | Etisalat (now 9mobile) | Organizational Design and Resource Allocation Systems. | Expertise managing workforce scaling and performance incentives within high-speed, technology-driven sectors. |
3. Preserving a Legacy of Workplace Excellence
Welcoming her to the leadership team, Managing Director Thibaut Boidin noted that Runsewe’s global expertise will be essential as the company builds a future-ready team capable of delivering on its long-term corporate goals.
Her appointment follows the successful tenure of outgoing Director Grace Omo-Lamai, who built an outstanding reputation for the company’s human resources department. Under Omo-Lamai’s leadership, Nigerian Breweries achieved multiple milestones, including its first Great Place To Work Silver recognition in 2021 and the premium Top Employer Certification in Nigeria and Africa in 2026. By bringing in a seasoned global executive to build on this strong foundation, the company ensures a smooth leadership transition, positioning its workforce to drive sustainable volume growth and long-term market leadership.
