Dr. Maggie Kigozi on Building Family Businesses: Lessons in Risk, Inheritance, and Succession Planning In this rare and deeply reflective 2024 interview with CEO East Africa’s Muhereza Kyamutetera, Dr. Maggie Kigozi opens up about her unexpected rise in business leadership following personal loss, and shares hard-won lessons on running a successful family enterprise—from inheritance and risk-taking to partnerships, transparency, and preparing the next generation. These are the timeless principles that helped shape Crown Beverages into one of Uganda’s most iconic private sector success stories.

When Dr. Maggie Kigozi stepped into Crown Beverages Limited (CBL) in 1994 following the death of her husband and co-founder, Eng. Dan Kigozi, she wasn’t merely inheriting shares—she was inheriting a dream. One year earlier, Dan, alongside business partners Amos Nzeyi and Chris Kayoboke, had acquired the assets of the defunct, state-owned Lake Victoria Bottling Company (LVBC) and secured a critical franchise from PepsiCo. The trio renamed the company Crown Bottlers Limited—later Crown Beverages—and set out to transform it into a world-class beverage enterprise. More than thirty years on, that dream has not only endured—it has expanded into something extraordinary….