the right people in the right place at the right time THE WORLD OF HEINEKEN One question is enough to trigger him into giving an explanation lasting half an hour; at first still relaxed, but within a few minutes he's leaning forward on the edge of his chair. The enthusiasm of Festus Odimegwu, Managing Director and CEO of Nigerian Breweries, makes itself felt. He has already told his story about the seven elements of Nigerian Breweries Strategic Architecture many times during the past year, each time full of fire and passion. A story about objectives and the people you need to achieve them. It covers Nigerian Breweries Pic's vision, mission, objectives, strategy, structure, systems and leadership/people within the context of the Heineken Africa Cluster. His personal objective is clear: keeping the organisation vibrant and alert. That wake-up function is important for a brewery which, with a market share of about 80% in the lager sector, has held a dominant position for many years. "Dominant? You're only dominant if you hold 98% market share in the lager segment. I'm not joking. If SAB can do it in South Africa, why can't we in Nigeria?", says Mr Odimegwu in fighting mood. He wants to build Nigerian Breweries into a world class company, because the competitors are lying in wait. The process of democratisation that Nigeria set in motion two years ago has not only brought prosperity for Nigerian Breweries, but has also opened up the eyes of its competitors. "Other breweries are studying the possibilities of entering this market. We must develop into a world class company so that we can expand our strong position further." Nigerian Breweries, in which Heineken has held a majority partici pation since late 2000, has defined a number of key issues that need to be addressed if it is to become world class. Festus Odimegwu lists them one by one: "Firstly, we give priority to mod ernising the operational infrastructure by upgrading the ICT, by screening third parties who deal with Nigerian Breweries so that

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World of Heineken | 2001 | | pagina 16