East African Breweries PLC has appointed a career Diageo executive as its next Group Chief Financial Officer, a move that places the British drinks giant's own man at the helm of the brewer's finances just months before Diageo hands control to Japan's Asahi Group Holdings.
- •Justin Mollel, currently Finance Director at Diageo Ireland, becomes Group CFO Designate on 1 May 2026, assuming full duties on 1 July 2026.
- •Mollel succeeds Risper Ohaga, the first African woman to serve as EABL's Group CFO, who is moving to APA Apollo Group as Group CEO, succeeding Ashok Shah after his fifty-year run at the regional insurer.
- •Mollel, a Tanzanian national, previously held Finance Director roles at Guinness Ghana and Serengeti Breweries in Tanzania before moving to Dublin.
Mollel, who is a certified public accountant with an MBA and a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from the University of Dar es Salaam, is the latest Diageo insider to be appointed to the C-Suite at EABL. Anthony Njenga, formerly of Diageo Australia, joined as Supply Chain Director in January 2025. Lorna Benton, then Group Performance and Reward Director at Diageo PLC, joined the EABL board in March 2025.
Diageo agreed in December 2025 to sell its 65% stake to Asahi for $2.3 billion, valuing EABL at $4.8 billion. The company operates five breweries, two distilleries, and a barley and malting facility across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, generating annual turnover above $1 billion.
The deal is expected to close in H2 2026, pending regulatory approvals. A legal challenge by distributor Bia Tosha has not blocked proceedings; its conservatory order lapsed in February, with the matter before a new judge on 9 April.
