Yomi Olaniwun
Guinness Nigeria has appointed marketing and brand strategy professional Olusegun Akinyemiju as Head of White Spirits (MSS Category), strengthening its senior leadership team and reinforcing its focus on strategic growth within the spirits segment.
In his new role, Olusegun will oversee one of Guinness Nigeria’s largest and most commercially critical portfolios, which represents a significant share of the company’s spirits business by both volume and value. He will be responsible for shaping and executing the end-to-end portfolio strategy, including brand positioning, innovation, pricing, communications, media investment, and market execution, within Nigeria’s highly competitive and regulated alcohol industry.
Olusegun brings over 13 years of experience across FMCG, alcoholic beverages, telecommunications, retail, and wellness, with a strong track record of building, scaling, and transforming leading consumer brands across West Africa. Before joining Guinness Nigeria, he served as senior brand manager for Lord’s Dry Gin at Nigerian Distilleries Limited.
During his tenure at Nigerian Distilleries, he led one of the most notable brand turnarounds in the white spirits category. Under his leadership, Lord’s Dry Gin achieved double-digit growth across both sales and brand equity metrics, successfully re-established its premium positioning, and introduced Nigeria’s first ready-to-drink extensions within the portfolio. These initiatives not only drove incremental revenue but also repositioned the brand to better connect with modern consumers.
His appointment signals Guinness Nigeria’s continued commitment to innovation, strong brand leadership, and sustainable growth within its spirits portfolio.
