hotshot in low-key marketing At the beginning of the month, Rhona Namanya transferred to Tanzania’s Serengeti Breweries, a sister firm of Uganda Breweries Ltd (UBL).
On Wednesday, July 6, 2022, Rhona published the following message on her LinkedIn page: “I am celebrating fresh beginnings today with this great news. As the Head of Beer, Marketing at Serengeti Breweries Limited, I begin a new position. I’m extremely happy about this new journey and especially looking forward to working with an excellent team on some of SBL’s renowned brands, she said.
The debut of Johnnie Walker brand houses at the time, such as liquid silk, panamera, and sky lounge, was one of Namanya’s professional highlights during her brief tenure as whisky brand manager.
She then transitioned into her transformation role as the brand manager of Uganda Waragi, where she launched the modernized look the company is known for today, re-launched their coconut flavor (who can forget the GO Loco For Coco campaign), and even went on to launch a new flavor in pineapple, which propelled the company to the top spot in Uganda.
As Head of Innovations (Marketing), she then changed her focus to innovation. Here, among many other things, she curated and helped bring back Pilsner lager, one of UBL’s most recognizable brands today.
As a senior innovation manager for Kenya Breweries Ltd., she furthered her reputation as an innovator.
Her marketing acumen was evident during her time at MTN, when she led the MTN Kampala Marathon’s three-year rise from 10,000 to 25,000 runners while serving as the organization’s sponsorship and promotions coordinator.
From October 2020 to July 2022, when she started her new position as the Head of Beer at Serengeti Breweries Limited, Namanya most recently held the position of Head of Spirits at Uganda Breweries Limited.
Another Ugandan marketer, Mark Mugisha Kivuna, who until June served as the Marketing and Innovations Director at Serengeti Breweries Ltd., was chosen by Guinness Nigeria to fill Rhona’s position when she departs for Tanzania.
