Kampala – Nile Breweries Limited, Uganda’s leading brewer, has today announced the appointment of Thomas Kamphuis as the new Country Operations Director for Uganda and South Sudan. Kamphuis joins Nile Breweries from the headquarters of AB InBev East Africa Business Unit (BU) based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where he has been the Marketing Director for the unit. Kamphuis succeeds James Bowmaker who announced his desire to step down in March after 7 years of continuous service to Nile Breweries and 17 years in the business.

Kamphuis has 17 years’ experience in world leading fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies, 14 of which have been in the beer industry. “I am thrilled and humbled to have been given the opportunity to manage one of the most successful companies in Uganda,” said Kamphuis. Bowmaker assured NBL beer consumers of a seamless continuity under his successor. “Leaving after 7 years of being part of a great team that has grown this business,  is not an easy decision, especially since I hold the country, people and products so close to my heart,” said  Bowmaker.

Roberto Jarrin, AB InBev East Africa BU President, lauded James for the great contribution he had made to the business over the past 17 years. “Under his leadership we’ve seen excellent market share growth in Uganda despite the very competitive environment,” said Roberto. About his new tenure, Kamphuis said he would like Nile Breweries to be known for its superior quality beers, exciting brands and formidable service to customers. “2017 was a remarkable year for us. We were able to grow our volume with over 25%. Our core brands Eagle, Nile special and Club performed extremely well.  This has led to capacity constraints and I am pleased to announce that we will be investing over USD22 Million in upgrading our capacity in the coming months,” he said.