Nigerian Breweries Plc has appointed Nkechi Runsewe as Human Resources Director, effective August 1, 2026, replacing Grace Omo-Lamai, who retires on July 28 after roughly eight years in the role.
Runsewe joins from HEINEKEN, where she served as Global Head of Talent Management, a function responsible for succession planning and leadership development across the group’s operating companies worldwide. Her career includes senior HR positions at Diageo, Etisalat, and M-Net Africa.
The appointment keeps the HR director function within the HEINEKEN talent system. Omo-Lamai herself came from Nigerian Bottling Company via roles in the telecoms sector before joining Nigerian Breweries in late 2017. Runsewe arrives from HEINEKEN’s Amsterdam-based global people function, which gives her direct exposure to the performance frameworks and succession architecture used across the group’s Africa portfolio.
That context matters. Nigerian Breweries is midway through a recovery that has demanded as much from its workforce structure as from its balance sheet. The company swung from a pre-tax loss of roughly ₦106 billion in 2024 to recording ₦55.95 billion in profit through the first quarter of 2026 alone. Drinkabl.media’s coverage of the turnaround traced how the N599.1 billion rights issue and the suspension of two breweries forced a leaner operating model that still depends on retaining productive capability at scale.
Managing that tension falls, in practical terms, to HR. Nigerian Breweries employs approximately 5,800 people across nine breweries. Runsewe’s background in succession readiness and performance frameworks positions her directly for an organization that needs its management bench to hold as it integrates the recently acquired Distell Wines and Spirits Nigeria portfolio and pursues beyond-beer growth.
The Top Employer certification Nigerian Breweries earned in March 2026 was validated under Omo-Lamai’s leadership. Runsewe takes over an HR function that cleared that benchmark but enters a business where cost pressure and portfolio complexity are both expanding. She also joins a management team that has seen several external appointments in the past 12 months, including a new Managing Director and a new Finance Director.
Drinkabl.media’s earlier reporting on Nigerian Breweries’ internal promotions noted a pattern of long-service personnel moving into operational leadership. Whether Runsewe accelerates external hiring or doubles down on internal development will be among the first visible signals of her strategic direction.
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