Nile Breweries Limited, has today announced the appointment of David Valencia as the new Country Operations Director for Uganda and South Sudan.
Valencia joins Nile Breweries from AB InBev South Africa Business Unit (BU), where he was the Director, Mozambique Sales & Route to Market Southern Africa for the unit.
Valencia succeeds Thomas Kamphuis who has been part of AB InBev for 15 years, three of which were served at Nile Breweries Ltd.
A citizen of the world, as he describes himself, Valencia has experience of 7+ years in the beer industry, most of which have been in Africa, with exposure to multiple markets.
According to a statement by Nile Breweries, Valencia brings to Uganda, a “solid commercial, financial and international business background.”
“Valencia effectively defended the Mozambican market against competitor entry, retaining a strong market share, and transformed the sales team to high engagement & warrior mindset,” said the statement.
A Bachelor of Science (Finance) graduate from the Concordia University, John Molson School in Canada, Valencia also holds an MBA from the Instituto De Empresas, IDE in Ecuador. He also attended the Management Development Program, at the GIBS Business School in South Africa.
Building on a strong foundation and quality products
An excited Valencia, told the media in a briefing held today, that he was “humbled by the warm welcome of the NBL team and by the hospitability of the country.”
“I am truly very excited about leading Nile Breweries,” he said, adding: “I have spent the better part of the last decade working in Southern Africa, and I am thankful for the opportunity to continue to work in this beautiful region of the world.”
About his new tenure, Valencia said, “The first thing is that we will build from the existing strong foundations. I like to dream big and as such I’d like to contribute towards positive change and a business transformation which enables us to innovate faster and deliver inclusive growth.”
“As a leading FMCG we are part of the fabric of society and generate value to thousands of Ugandans from the field to the retailers, our best comes when we grow. When our volumes grow our products enable economic development and empowerment,” he added.
He also underscored the aim to attract top talent to NBL, shaping the brewer as what he called “the best business partner of for all our stake holders.”
“We will continue to work hard in our CSR programs, advocating responsible consumption and we will support initiatives to formalize illicit alcohol in order to contribute to the reduction of harmful use of alcohol,” he said.
A great leader in tough times
Uganda’s Corporate Finance and Capital Markets Luminary, Miriam Ekirapa Musaali, Passes OnThomas Kamphuis, the outgoing Country Director assured NBL beer consumers of a seamless continuity under his successor.
“In the last 3 years the NBL team has been able to realise most of its ambitions. The integration into AB InBev is completed and this is resulting in efficiency and performance improvements,” Kamphuis said, adding: “I am particularly proud of our financial, market share, brand preference and employee engagement results.
During Kamphuis time at Uganda’s largest brewer, market share grew by 8% while bottom line consistently grew double-digit, he said.
Some of his other achievements include the recognition of NBL’s Mbarara plant as the best brewery in ABlnbev Africa as well as the recognition of Nile Special. NBL’s flagship beer, as the most admired brand in the Brand Africa’s top 100 brands, country category.
Kamphuis, was also able to grow the sourcing of local raw materials to over 95% among other achievements as well as launch Nile Special Stout- Uganda’s first stout beer made from locally made raw materials.
Valencia lauded his predecessor for leading his team to make “fantastic strides” and “working hard every day to offer great quality products to our consumers.”
“Nile Breweries contribution to our AB InBev business in Africa is considerable and we should all feel very proud of this,” he said.
“The growth in market share has been as a result of great execution in the market. In terms of bottom line, Nile Breweries is one of the best in in Africa and this is as a result of efficiency which has supported our company in a very tough year. It is this resilience and efficiency that has supported us in this pandemic year,” he said, “It has also allowed us to continue working alongside our employees and retain them in what has been a tough year,” Valencia said.
“I am extremely proud to be part of this amazing organization,” remarked Valencia.
Phil Redman, the AB InBev East Africa BU President, lauded Kamphuis for the great contribution he had made to the business over the past 15 years and particularly during this challenging year of the COVID 19 pandemic.
“Under his leadership we’ve seen excellent market share growth in Uganda despite the very competitive environment,” said Redman.
In his parting shots, Kamphuis called upon government to actively get involved in the recovery of the bverages sector from the Covid-19 shocks.
“2020 has been a tough year and we urge the government of Uganda to carefully consider the partial opening of the on premise channel as well as to continue working with the formal sector to ensure that the long term competitiveness with the informal sector is sustained,” Kamphuis said.
He also thanked the NBL team for their passion to make and sell the best beers in the world and the people of Uganda for their support and “the great time I’ve has had in the Pearl of Africa.”
