Local brewer Bralirwa (Part of Heineken) has appointed Martine Gatabazi as Marketing Director making her one of the few Rwandans to hold the position at the brewer.

Gatabazi who assumed the position in September previously held a similar position in Côte d’Ivoire and was based in Abidjan at Brassivoire which is also part of Heineken.

Gatabazi has worked for the firm for about 15 year in Rwanda, Amsterdam and Côte d’Ivoire.

In Amsterdam, she served as Regional Brand Manager between June 2015 and July 2018.

 She also previously worked for Bank of New York in Brussels, Belgium.

As Marketing Director, she sits in the management team and among other things oversees marketing and promotion efforts of the multiple brands (beers and soft drinks) as well as overseeing overall brand positioning.

The local market is increasingly becoming more competitive as potential clients increasingly have options to pick from with regards to alcoholic drinks and soft drinks.

The local brewer profits after tax rose by 655% in 2020 to Rwf 9B from Rwf 1.2 B in 2019 largely driven by reduction in operating expenses