East African Breweries Limited (EABL) has appointed Ednah Otieno, the current HR Director for East Africa, as Human Resources Director for Diageo in Great Britain, effective July 1, 2021.
The new appointment makes Ms. Otieno the first Kenyan appointed to the role. At EABL, Ms. Otieno is credited with delivering outstanding performance and inspiration, creating a strong succession pipeline, embedding a continuous learning culture and enabling self-directed learning.
Speaking on her appointment, EABL Group Managing Director, Jane Karuku, said, “I’m happy and proud to announce that Ednah will be moving to lead the HR role in Diageo in the next three months. Ednah is a consummate professional with an enviable track record, and I’m sure she’s more than equal to the task ahead of her. Her passion for inclusion and diversity was instrumental in implementing the parental leave policy that led to six-month and one-month maternity and paternity leave, respectively.”
With the leadership team, Ms. Otieno has been instrumental in leading the change in culture towards cross-functional collaboration across different levels whilst ensuring a simple, agile and fully resourced organization.
Commenting on her appointment, Ms. Otieno said, “This historic promotion falls in line with our diversity and inclusion agenda that of the Diageo Group. At EABL, we celebrate diversity and strive to create an inclusive culture that enables every individual in the organization to contribute and grow in an environment where everyone is valued for who they uniquely are. I am proud that my promotion epitomizes this culture.”
Her promotion comes three and a half months after Ms. Karuku took office on January 1, 2021 as the first woman Group Managing Director for East African Breweries. She has a distinguished 18-year career in the HR field, which she started as a graduate trainee at East African Breweries Limited (EABL) in 2003. She later moved into different roles within the HR team in Talent, Reward and Shared Services. Ms. Otieno left the company in 2014 as Head of Reward for Diageo Africa to join Airtel Africa as the Head of Organization Effectiveness and Reward. She later moved to Mars Wrigley East Africa as Head of People and Organization in 2015, which she held until she re-joined Diageo as Group Human Resources Director, EABL, in August 2017.
“I am sad to see Ednah leave the East Africa team, but at the same time, I am delighted with this move as she will build on her experience to make a difference in Diageo Great Britain,” added Ms. Karuku.