NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 11 – East African Breweries Limited has appointed Jane Karuku as its new Group Managing Director.
The firm’s company secretary Cathryn Maundu through a statement says Karuku will be replacing Andrew Cowan who has been awarded a new role in Diageo.
“Karuku, who has also been serving in the EABL Board since 2013 and the current Managing Director for Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL), will
replace Cowan who has been in the EABL business for four and a half years. Cowan is taking up a new role in Diageo’s global business,” said Maundu.
The appointments of Karuku and Cowan will take effect from 1st January 2021.
Karuku will handover her KBL role to John Musunga who takes over as Managing Director.
“Karuku will be replaced in the role of Managing Director, Kenya Breweries by Mr. John Musunga. John has more than 25 years of experience in general management, sales, and marketing.”
Musunga joins EABL from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) where he began his career as a sales representative and progressed through roles of increasing responsibility including that of Managing Director and General Manager
of their Kenya and East Africa Business,” reads the firm’s statement.
Musunga’s appointment will take effect by March 1, 2021.
Meanwhile, Cowan will also remain in the company’s Board.
The board has described Karuku as a dynamic business leader, with strong management experience spanning over 25 years in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and non-governmental organisations.
Prior to joining KBL, Karuku was the President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), where she was responsible for one of Africa’s largest grant-making organisations in the food security and agricultural
development sector.
Previously, she has held a host of senior positions in various other organisations including Cadbury’s East & Central Africa as Managing Director before joining Telkom Kenya, as Deputy Chief Executive and Secretary General.
At Cadbury’s, she was responsible for operations in 14 countries across Africa and during her tenure she conceived and implemented a highly successful growth programme for the business in this period.
Before Cadbury’s Karuku worked with Farmer’s Choice Kenya and Kenya Co-operative Creameries (now known as New KCC).
At the same time, she has also served on several boards including Barclays Bank and is currently a Trustee of Precious Sisters, an organisation that empowers bright and underprivileged girls though education.
She is the current Chairperson of Kenya Vision 2030 Board and recently led the Kenya Covid-19 Fund Board that was created by President Uhuru Kenyatta to marshal funds for combating the Coronavirus disease.
