Olivier Thiry to succeed Keith Richards as Managing Director of Promasidor

A succession process that will culminate in Chief Keith Richards becoming a non- executive Chairman of Promasidor Nigeria Limited and Mr. Olivier Thiry becoming the Managing Director has begun.
It would be recalled that Chief Richards a few months ago clocked sixty years.
In a statement by the company, the current Chairman, Mr. Mark Rose said, “Keith Richards has done an outstanding job as Managing Director since he started in November 2007. His tenure will be recognized, not just for our results but also for the development of our brand portfolio and our organization. Under his leadership PNG has become respected throughout Nigeria for our brands, our people, our innovative spirit and our corporate responsibility.
“Keith had always signalled he would like to move on once he turned 60 but I am delighted that he has agreed to stay on as Chairman. In this part-time role we will be able to take advantage of his understanding of the Nigerian regulatory, social and political environment. He will be remaining in Nigeria and available to advise and support the board as well as be a mentor to the incoming Managing Director.
The incoming Managing Director, Olivier began his career with the Promasidor group in 2002 in Algeria. Originally head of the supply chain function, he assumed the office of Deputy Managing director in 2004, and became the substantive Managing Director in 2005. Under his leadership, Promasidor became the market leader in the powdered dairy and beverage industries in Algeria. He left Algeria in 2009 and assumed the position of Managing Director for Ghana in January 2010 where he has been hugely successful for four years.
Prior to the Promasidor group, Olivier worked for Belgolaise Bank (Fortis Group) in Belgium in a number of roles. In 1999, he joined the company “Delta Informatique “leader’s in banking information. He began as head of projects and became responsible for the branch based in Ivory Coast in charge of West Africa. He worked here for two years prior to joining Promasidor Algeria In 2002.
Olivier graduated in 1995 with distinct Honours from the University of Brussels. His lovely wife, Deborah and two sons will be joining him in Nigeria.
Olivier, Rose further stated will be joining Keith in Nigeria in the next few weeks for a substantial familiarization and will begin to take operational responsibility during the second quarter with a formal handover in May 2014.
“The Board is delighted with the prospect of having two seasoned and experienced operators working together and for us to have a strong and well-developed succession plan,” he added