Bralirwa Plc, the local brewery has appointed Merid Demissie as the new Managing Director to lead the company’s operations starting January next year.
Merid will replace Victor Madiela who has been at the company’s helm for over two years and leaves for a new position to head Heineken-Bralima brewery in Democratic Republic of Congo.
“In this role, Mr. Merid will be responsible for the expansion of the leadership position in beer and soft drinks through a vibrant brand portfolio and an optimized route to market, while driving a lean cost base leading to an improved financial performance,” reads a statement on the company’s website.
Announcing the appointment, Bralirwa Plc a subsidiary of the Heineken Group said that Merid started working with Heineken Ethiopia in 2014 as a Sales Director. During the past 5 years, he has successfully built a new Sales and Trade Marketing team, grew volume and nearly doubled market share in one of Africa’s most competitive markets.
Prior to joining HEINEKEN, Merid started his career in the beverage world with Coca-Cola SABCO in Ethiopia in 1999 where he spent 7 years working in different positions in Sales & Marketing with growing responsibilities. From 2007 till 2014, Merid held several commercial regional roles in the Coca-Cola Central East & West Africa Business Unit.
The new managing director joins Bralirwa as the company faces its greatest competition since it was founded in 1957. The beer company recently launched local production of Heineken which is expected to go on market before the end year.
