BIDCO Appoints Chris Diaz As Group Sales & Marketing Director After Resigning From KQ.

Thika-based Consumer goods manufacturer Bidco Africa has appointed Chris Diaz as group sales and marketing director ahead of the firm’s launch of several new products. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Diaz was the marketing director at Kenya Airways and is also a director at Brand Kenya and Brand Africa.

Chris Diaz is expected to lead the sales and marketing functions for the entire group including corporate communication, distribution and customer strategy across all markets.

With a commercial footprint in 17 African countries, Bidco is presently constructing an industrial park in Ruiru that will house multiple manufacturing units including a beverage plant which is expected to begin production later this year.

Diaz resigned from KQ in February after serving at the airline since November 2012.

Bidco Africa chief executive officer Vimal Shah said the marking chief would be tasked with positioning the manufacturer’s new products in line with its expansion plans.

“Chris is not new to us; he worked with us in the past and has been a non-executive director since 2009 so this is a homecoming. He is a brilliant and experienced marketer with the capacity to bring the kind of strategic leadership we need to realise our growth ambitions especially as we venture into new categories,” Vimal Shah said.

Diaz joins Bidco Africa following his exit from Kenya Airways where he was the marketing director. He is the first Kenyan and African to be appointed on the Chartered Institute of Marketing Board in the UK and is also a director at Brand Kenya and Brand Africa.

“I am delighted to join Bidco Africa at such an exciting time. I look forward to working with the team to deliver the company’s goals particularly the entry into new product lines,” said Diaz.

Diaz has over 25 years’ experience in corporate Sales and Marketing. He studied Commerce at the University of Nairobi and received a Masters in International Marketing from the United Kingdom.

Chris is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and is the first African to serve as a CIM Trustee. He has received numerous global recognitions and accolades for his work.