Rwanda: Skol Brewery to have new general manager

Skol Brewery has announced that its general manager, Thomas Weingarten, is leaving his post as of April 15. He will be replaced by Johan De Smet-Van Damme, All Africa reported on April, 7.

Weingarten has been general manager of Skol since the founding of the brewery in Rwanda in early 2010, first under the name Brasserie des Mille Collines (BMC) and later renamed Skol Brewery Ltd in 2012. He managed to put the brand on the map in Rwanda; Skol is by now well established and accepted, and has quickly managed to capture a considerable market share from Bralirwa, which had been operating in a de facto monopoly situation.

"We would like to thank Mr. Thomas Weingarten for the quality of his work during the past three years and we also appreciate his intercultural competence and his professional and human qualities," said Thibault Relecom, CEO of Brussels-based parent company Unibra, in a statement.

Johan De Smet-Van Damme, currently commercial director Skol Africa, will act as general manager of the Skol Brewery in the coming months. He has over 20 years experience in managing breweries around the world.

Skol Brewery Ltd is a Kigali-based brewer of Skol and Gatanu. The company is owned by Unibra, a company with interests in consumer goods, real estate and financial services.

10 April, 2013