Diageo has announced the appointment of Christopher Wangai Gitau as General Manager, Greece, effective 1 October 2025. In this role, he will report to Olena Neznal, Managing Director for Eastern & Central Europe.
Mr. Gitau transitions into this role from his current position as Commercial Director at Serengeti Breweries Limited (SBL), Tanzania, where he has been instrumental in leading a remarkable business turnaround over the past four years. Under his stewardship, SBL delivered 20% NSV growth in F25, driven by commercial strategy excellence, route-to-consumer transformation, strong innovation commercialisation, and flawless execution.
With over 25 years of FMCG experience, Gitau has held senior leadership roles at East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL), Meta Abo Breweries Ethiopia, and Cooke International, delivering commercial transformation initiatives across Africa and Southeast Asia. Notably, at EABL, he spearheaded the KBL RTC transformation project with McKinsey, developing the benchmark “Gold Standard” programme that continues to yield results in the region.
At SBL, he championed the rollout of digital commercial capabilities such as Edge and Diageo One, led innovation success with products like Serengeti Lemon, Captain Morgan, and Kibo Gold, and opened new export markets in four international territories. Beyond business results, he has been a strong advocate for talent and capability development, founding the BREW Network to promote psychological safety and inclusion for men, supporting female distributors to access funding, and advancing ESG initiatives such as Water for Life and Learning for Life.
Hailed by Obinna Anyalebechi, SBL Managing Director, and Olena Neznal, Managing Director for Eastern & Central Europe, as a firm, disciplined, and charismatic leader, Gitau is respected as a mentor, coach, and advisor, admired for his ability to inspire teams, foster resilience, and build high-performance cultures.
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He holds an MBA in Business Strategy and a BA from United States International University – Africa. Outside of work, he is an avid marathoner and fitness enthusiast, and will be relocating to Greece for his new role.
“While we will deeply miss Chris’ leadership at SBL, this appointment reflects his immense contributions and the potential he carries for shaping Diageo’s future globally,” said Anyalebechi and Neznal in a joint statement.
A successor to Gitau at SBL will be announced in due course.
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