Sarah Agha: 10 Things About The New Marketing Director Of Nigerian Breweries Taking Over From June
Though it is no longer news that marketing communications Amazon, Sarah Agha, will fully assume the position of Marketing Director at Nigerian Breweries Plc in June 2025, the excitement and conversations around the strategic implications of this appointment continue to reverberate across professional and corporate circles.
Agha is taking over from Emma Oriakhi, the Nigerian Breweries’ former Marketing Director who steered the company’s commercial and brand operations for seven years and is now elevated to the role of Sales Director.
In this piece, Brand Communicator goes beyond the surface gist or any press release to explore ten deep insights into the life, career, leadership philosophy, and journey of Sarah Agha—the Amazon many believe will reshape the marketing playbook of one of Nigeria’s most iconic companies.
1. She Is a Chemical Engineer Turned Brand Builder
Sarah Agha’s journey began with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, a background that perhaps laid the foundation for her structured, analytical approach to marketing. But rather than sticking to the conventional path of engineering, she pivoted sharply into the world of consumer insight and advertising, kicking off a career that has spanned over two decades across FMCG, telecommunications, and advertising.
Her unique transition from science to marketing speaks volumes about her versatility and intellectual agility—a rare blend that has helped her lead high-stakes brand transformations with both precision and passion.
2. She’s a Multi-Industry, Multi-Continental Professional
Agha has earned her stripes not just in Nigeria but across multiple countries and continents, holding leadership roles in both regional and global capacities. From managing telecom products in Nigeria to reshaping marketing capabilities in Europe and Africa, Agha has built a portfolio of cross-functional excellence.
Her most recent roles in the Netherlands, where she served as Regional Marketing Excellence Director for Africa, Middle East (AME) and Marketing Capability Manager Global Commerce, saw her shape Heineken’s brand and capability strategies across seven African markets. In these roles, beyond building brands, she was building people, systems, and processes that delivered scalable growth.
3. She Boasts an Enviable Track Record of Big Wins at Nigerian Breweries
While Agha has moved around the world, her time at Nigerian Breweries Plc (NB)—before her international assignments—was marked by outstanding results. Between 2018 and 2023, she led the company’s National Premium Portfolio, overseeing top-performing brands like Heineken, Desperados, Star, Gulder, and Legend Extra Stout.
Additionally, she successfully launched Desperados in Nigeria—one of only three markets in Africa to do so in 25 years. She was responsible for spearheading the rolling out the Heineken sleek can, which beat performance targets and became the biggest beer brand in the 33cl SKU in Nigeria.
She also led a cross-functional team that orchestrated the Heineken Trophy Tour, making Nigeria one of the Top 10 global markets by contribution for Heineken, led the rebranding of Legend Extra Stout and revamping the stout portfolio with double-digit growth; spearheaded the co-developing the groundbreaking “Access the Stars” music talent show in partnership with Access Bank and Star Lager, which reached millions of consumers, among many others.
4. She Champions Diversity and Women Empowerment
Beyond numbers and brands, she is a fierce advocate for gender equity and the empowerment of women in the workplace. She is known within Heineken and the broader marketing community for mentoring female professionals, challenging cultural stereotypes, and driving the conversation around inclusive leadership.
Her ethos is simple but powerful: “I use my voice and experience to give courage to women, supporting and challenging them to see things differently as they navigate the complex terrain of corporate culture and emerge as business leaders.”
5. She Has Experience Across the Entire Marketing Value Chain
Unlike many marketing executives who specialize in one domain, Agha has handled end-to-end marketing and commercial roles—from research to brand strategy, product development, pricing, packaging, route-to-market, and even sales management.
Earlier in her career, she worked as Senior Research Executive at Research International Market, where she managed consumer insight projects for major brands like Unilever, BAT, and UBA. This strong foundation in research sharpened her ability to decode market trends and predict consumer shifts—an invaluable skill in today’s rapidly evolving market.
6. She Has Rebranded and Relaunched Failing Businesses
One of Agha’s career-defining experiences was her role as Commercial Director at InterC Network between 2015 and 2017. Here, she led the rebirth of Intercellular, Nigeria’s first privately owned telco, rebranding it to InterC Networks after almost a decade of dormancy.
In addition to rebuilding the product portfolio and subscriber base, she also spearheaded digital transformation, built self-service platforms, recruited distributors, and created e-commerce-enabled websites—all of which doubled topline revenue within a short timeframe.
7. She Was Once the Backbone of Insight Communications’ Growth
Before her FMCG exploits, Sarah was a force in Nigeria’s advertising scene. At Insight Communications, now Insight Publicis – one of West Africa’s most respected ad agencies, she rose through the ranks to become Business Director.
While there, she pitched and won accounts like Tecno, Bobo, Qualcomm, StarTimes, and Lagos State Government. She also helped develop winning campaigns for Heineken, Gulder, and Amstel Malta—a clear foreshadowing of her later triumphs at Nigerian Breweries.
Her creativity and leadership at Insight earned her the Most Innovative Staff Award (2012) and a seat on the agency’s Value Council.
8. She Brings an Exceptional Mix of Global and Local Education
Agha’s educational pedigree matches her expansive professional experience. She holds an MBA from Business School Netherlands, has completed the Senior Management Programme at Lagos Business School, and undertook Leadership Training at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.
This combination of local context and global perspective equips her with the intellectual depth and cultural sensitivity to navigate Nigeria’s complex consumer landscape while integrating best-in-class international strategies.
9. She Has Built and Led Global Marketing Teams
While at Heineken’s Global Commerce Division in Amsterdam, Sarah was responsible for refreshing the company’s brand building models, training operational companies (OPCOs), and embedding global marketing capabilities in different regional markets.
She was instrumental in driving knowledge transfer, replicating successful strategies across borders, and building tools that elevated local marketing teams’ output. This deep involvement with marketing capability development means she will not only lead at NB but transform the capacity of the entire team to execute on a higher level.
10. She Will Reignite Nigerian Breweries’ Next Growth Phase
Sarah’s appointment comes at a crucial time when Nigerian Breweries is looking to further establish market leadership in the mainstream beer segment and expand into premium and non-beer categories. With her rare blend of engineering logic, creative storytelling, strategic clarity, commercial depth, and human-centred leadership, she is widely expected to shape the company’s next chapter through stronger brand affinity campaigns rooted in culture and youth trends, purposeful consumer engagement that positions Nigerian Breweries not just as a business leader, but as a cultural force among others. Industry watchers are optimistics she will be up to the task in doing this and much more.
As she officially steps into her new role this June, all eyes will be on how she steers the marketing ship of Nigerian Breweries through this decisive era. But one thing is certain—with Sarah Agha at the helm, the journey will be bold, disruptive, and unforgettable.