Edo election: Ighodalo resigns as Nigerian Breweries chair, Hiemstra to take over

The Nigerian Breweries Pic has announced the resignation of Asue Ighodalo as the chairman of its board of directors.

In a corporate filing on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), on Friday, Uaboi Agbebaku, the company secretary, also said there were changes in its board of directors after the board meeting on December 7, 2023.

Agbebaku said the resignation of Ighodalo — who declared his intention to run in the gubernatorial election of Edo state under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — will take effect at the end of the year.

He added that Sijbe Hiemstra will become the interim chairman.

“The chairman informed the board today of his decision to offer himself for public service,” Nigerian Breweries said. 

“As a result, he will be resigning from the Board and as the chairman of the board on the 31st of December 2023 to enable him devote his full attention to the new cause.

“To give the board enough time to appoint a substantive chairman, the longest serving director, Mr. Sijbe “Siep” Hiemstra was appointed to act as the chairman in the interim effective the 1″ of January 2024.”

Nigerian Breweries said during the transition period, Hiemstra will steer the affairs of the board and oversee the process of appointing a substantive chairman. 

Before his appointment, Hiemstra was a member of Nigerian Breweries’ governance committee and also served on the company’s statutory audit committee.

“He joined the board on the 1 of August 2011 and is a past Heineken Regional President for Africa and Middle East,” the company said.

Meanwhile, Nigerian Breweries also announced that Ndidi Nwuneli notified the board of stepping down from her position as an independent non-executive director. 

According to the company, Nwuneli, who served a 9-year tenure, will be leaving by December 31, 2023.

The board of directors appointed Stella Ojekwe-Onyejeli as an independent non-executive director to fill the vacant position.

“Ojekwe-Onyejeli brings to the Board years of experience as a risk manager with a demonstrated history of working in the financial services industry, and skilled in enterprise risk management, business planning, internal audit, and analytical skills,” Nigerian Breweries said. 

“She currently serves on the boards of Coronation Insurance Plc and Rand Merchant Bank, amongst others. The company is pleased to have someone with her knowledge and experience join its board.”

The company said all appointments take effect on January 1, 2024.