Nigeria’s consumer goods sector is still as resilient as ever, with the nation’s biggest listed companies guaranteeing major growth of almost 50% despite inflation, currency instability, and reduced consumer purchasing power. The fastest-growing FMCG companies in Nigeria collectively generated N3.71 trillion in revenue in the first half of 2025, compared to N2.48 trillion in the same period in 2024.
Their CEOs deserve lots of praise for not only sustaining demand but also aiding innovation and efficiency in an era where goods are scarcely available and affordable.
Their effective leadership has transformed firms into revenue monsters, ensuring the sector remains one of the major contributors to Nigeria’s GDP, therefore their deserved recognition is long overdue.
In this article, the brains behind the thriving performance of the companies would be given their flowers, according to their revenue growth.
For firms with differing financial year-ends like Guinness Nigeria (June year-end) and Honeywell Flour Mills (March year-end), the figures show their respective half-year periods – July to December 2024 for Guinness and April to September 2024 for Honeywell, corresponding to H1 2025 in their reporting cycles. See Top 10 FMCG Companies In Nigeria And Their CEOs:
10. Thabo Mabe – CEO, Nascon Allied Industries PLC (N78.2 billion):
The MD of Nascon Allied Industries PLC has been a respected innovator since he assumed the position in 2022.
As leader, the company recorded N78.2 billion in revenue in H1 2025, representing a 55% boost from N50.4 billion in H1 2024.
He started his career at Unilever as a graduate trainee, gathering experience across major operational areas like Manufacturing, Production, and Sales.
Mabe currently holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry and Mathematics from Fort Hare University, South Africa.
9. Dimitris Kostianis – CEO, PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC (N96.5 billion):
Dimitris is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC, a position he has occupied since June 1, 2023.
With almost 3 decades of experience within the PZ Cussons Group, his amazing business career includes leadership roles across Africa and Asia, with lots of experience in high-growth emerging markets and consumer goods sectors.
He is very familiar with the Nigerian market, having held leadership roles in the country from 2005 to 2009 and again from 2015 to 2018. This experience has helped him understand local consumer behavior, routes-to-market strategies, and operational challenges in the region.
8. Tobi Adeniyi – MD, Unilever Nigeria PLC (N98.1 billion):
He is the Managing Director of Unilever Nigeria PLC, a popular consumer goods company in Nigeria. Tobi was appointed on December 31, 2024, bringing over 15 years of progressive experience within Unilever and across global markets.
Before assuming his current position, Tobi served as National Sales Director, where he was responsible for Unilever Nigeria’s entire sales organization of more than 1,000 workers and its distributor network.
Prior to this, he worked as Customer Supply Chain Director for West Africa, boosting supply chain efficiency and operational resilience across the region.
7. Nassib Raffoul – MD, Honeywell Flour Mill PLC (N179.6 billion):
Since May 2022, Nassib has been the Managing Director of Honeywell Flour Mills PLC. He attained his current height after working with Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC in several capacities, including Chief Operating Officer of Agro-Allied from 2019 to April 2023, and General Manager and Director of Golden Sugar.
He delivers crucial operational and executive experience in agro-processing and manufacturing, guaranteeing strategy, production, and business development wherever he is.
Since April 2023, Nassib has worked as Managing Director of Honeywell Flour Mills at Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC. He also holds the position of General Manager at Glassforce Ltd.
6. Girish Sharma – CEO, Guinness Nigeria PLC (N259.6 billion):
He is the Managing Director and CEO of Guinness Nigeria PLC, a leading company in Nigeria’s alcoholic beverages sector and part of the global Diageo Group, known for popular brands like Guinness, Baileys, and Johnnie Walker.
Assuming his present position in October 2024, Girish has more than 20 years experience in consumer goods, manufacturing, and strategic business growth across various markets.
His impressive career also spans major leadership roles in the Nigerian food sector. He once worked as Chief Operating Officer at Dufil Prima Foods Plc, overseeing brands like Indomie, Minimie, and Power Oil.
During his time at Dufil, Girish guaranteed profitability, launched several new products, and drove brand equity and market share growth.
5. Carlos Coutino – MD, International Breweries PLC (N340.9billion):
Carlos is the Managing Director of International Breweries Plc, the Nigerian subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev), the world’s largest brewer with operations in more than 150 nations and a portfolio of over 500 beer brands, including Budweiser, Stella Artois, and Corona.
He was named MD in January 2023 after almost 5 years of spearheading the company’s sales and commercial operations in Nigeria, where he successfully expanded the company’s volume and market share in country’s competitive beer market.
With an educational background in Industrial Engineering and an MBA in Strategy, Carlos currently oversees the growth strategy of International Breweries Plc, concentrating on scaling market share, boosting premium offerings, and delivering sustainable revenue growth in a highly price-sensitive market.
4. Ravindra Singhvi – CEO, Dangote Sugar Refinery PLC (N430.2 billion):
He is the Group Managing Director/CEO of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc who has led the company since 2018, delivering over 40 years of leadership across manufacturing and related industries in India.
Under his leadership, the company has remained one of the biggest players in Nigeria’s FMCG sector, posting N430.2 billion in revenue for H1 2025, marking a 46% increase from N295.6 billion in H1 2024.
Ravindra is a Chartered Accountant with a degree in commerce from the University of Jodhpur who has held senior appointments across India’s manufacturing sector, ranging from Chief Financial Officer to Executive Director and eventually Managing Director, where he built a reputation for turning struggling businesses into profitable enterprises.
Before his role in Dangote Sugar, he served as Managing Director of EID Parry in Chennai, one of India’s largest and oldest listed sugar companies, and later as CEO of NSL Sugars in Hyderabad.
3. Wassim Elhusseini – CEO, Nestlé Nigeria PLC (N581.1 billion):
He has been the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Nigeria Plc since September 2020. With him as CEO, the company generated N581.1 billion in revenue in the first half of 2025, a 43% rise from N406.9 billion in the same period of 2024.
Wassim’s appointment has reinforced Nestlé’s position as one of Nigeria’s most influential FMCG companies, and it’s expected from a man who has been with Nestlé for more than two decades after initially joining in 2002 as Channel Category Sales Development (CCSD) Manager for Coffee & Creamers in Kuwait.
He studied Public Administration at the American University of Beirut and has further boosted his leadership profile via executive programs at globally renowned institutions, including London Business School, the University of Cambridge, Harvard University, and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
2. Thibaut Boidin – CEO, Nigerian Breweries PLC (N738.1 billion):
He is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Breweries Plc, the country’s oldest and largest brewing company, which reported revenues of N738.1 billion in the first half of 2025, a 54% increase from N479.7 billion in the same period of 2024.
Before his business career in Nigeria, Boidin served as Managing Director of HEINEKEN Romania, one of the group’s largest operations in Eastern Europe, where he oversaw nearly two years of steady market growth.
His HEINEKEN career spans strategic transformation roles across Europe, including Chief Transformation Officer for HEINEKEN Europe and earlier as Deputy General Manager and Chief Transformation Officer of HEINEKEN France. His first role in the group was as Deputy CEO of France Boissons, a subsidiary handling a billion-euro turnover across 73 sites in France.
His leadership journey also includes roles as Area Business Unit Manager at ELIS, Business Unit Manager at Veolia and earlier as a consultant with HeadMind Partners in Paris.
1. Ayodele Musibau Abioye – CEO, BUA Foods PLC (N912.5 billion):
As MD of Nigeria’s most capitalised food manufacturing company, Ayo had to make this list. The company reported N912.5 billion in revenue for the first half of 2025, a 36% increase from N672.3 billion in the same period of 2024.
With more than 30 years of experience in business leadership, engineering, and manufacturing, Ayodele has postioned himself as one of the most influential executives in Nigeria’s fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry.
Joining BUA Group in 2021 as Chief Operating Officer to oversee its diverse food businesses, he was appointed Managing Director of BUA Foods the same year.
Under his leadership, the company has extended its dominance in Nigeria’s food sector, growing into one of Africa’s most valuable listed entities on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), and expanding its footprint in key value chains like sugar, flour, pasta, rice, and edible oils.
Source: Rosalia Ozibo, Nairametrics.
