THE  Board of Directors of Guinness Nigeria   has announced the appointment of Babatunde Savage, currently the Deputy Managing Director, Guinness Nigeria Plc, as the company’s Chairman. He succeeds Dr. Ralph Alabi who has retired after 13 years as chairman during which the business experienced great transformation as a result of his commitment and good leadership. The appointment is with effect from July 1, 2009.

Dr. Alabi joined the company in 1964 and achieved a number of firsts in his remarkable career. He was the first Nigerian to be appointed to the positions of Chief Engineer as well as brewery manager in Guinness Nigeria.

The company wishes to express its gratitude to Dr. Alabi for his distinguished leadership, and wish him the best in the years ahead.

Earlier, Dr Alabi had described Tunde as a worthy successor, a true Guinness man who understands the culture of the company. He said ‘‘Tunde will bring his wealth of experience to bear on the company, with his exposure, he is an excellent choice who will take Guinness Nigeria to greater heights’’

Tunde’s career in Guinness Nigeria has spanned 26 years. In that period, he held executive positions in Finance, Corporate Planning and Corporate Relations. He joined the Board of Guinness Nigeria in 1996. Tunde Savage holds an honours degree in Physiology from the University of Ibadan and is a product of the famous Igbobi College, Lagos.

He joined Guinness Nigeria from Coopers & Lybrand (now PriceWaterhouseCoopers) where he worked from 1978 to 1983 as a Chartered Accountant. He has attended various local and overseas management-training courses in reputable institutions including Cranfield School of Management and Harvard Business School.

He is a Fellow of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN). Tunde is the Chairman of the Beer Sectoral Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and a council member of both the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) and International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).