The announcement was formally communicated to shareholders, the investing public, and the Nigerian Exchange Limited through a notice signed by the Company Secretary, ALSEC Nominees Limited. The development signals a planned transition at the top of one of Nigeria’s longstanding fast-moving consumer goods companies.
Elueni’s elevation comes after the exit of Dimitrios Kostianis, who stepped down from the CEO role after three years. Kostianis is not leaving the broader organisation entirely; he is moving into another role within the wider PZ Cussons Group.
Internal promotion backed by years of experience
Before his appointment, Elueni was already deeply embedded in the company’s leadership structure, serving as Managing Director of its Consumer business. He joined PZ Cussons Nigeria in 2021 and has been part of the firm’s Global Executive Committee, contributing to group-wide strategic decisions.
The Board expressed confidence in his appointment, stating:
“The Board is confident that his leadership capabilities, commercial experience, and deep understanding of the business will support the continued growth”
His selection reflects a preference for continuity, drawing from a leader already familiar with the company’s operations, market challenges, and regional dynamics.
Two decades of global consumer goods leadership
Elueni brings more than 20 years of experience spanning Africa, North America, and other international markets in the consumer goods industry.
His career includes senior leadership roles at major multinational companies such as SC Johnson and Procter & Gamble, where he built a track record in commercial expansion, distributor management, and market development across emerging economies.
At SC Johnson, he served as General Manager for Sub-Saharan Africa, overseeing profit and loss responsibilities across multiple countries including South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Ethiopia. In that role, he was responsible for driving growth and strengthening market share across diverse and competitive markets.
He also held the position of Managing Director for West Africa, where he coordinated operations across Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal, integrating strategy with execution while strengthening stakeholder relationships and delivering financial performance targets.
Deep expertise from Procter & Gamble years
Earlier in his career, Elueni spent over 13 years at Procter & Gamble, where he held multiple senior commercial and strategic roles.
As Country Sales Manager for Sub-Saharan African expansion markets, based in Nairobi, he managed sales performance, trade investments, distributor partnerships, and market share growth across several countries, including Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Gabon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He also worked on distributor transitions and go-to-market strategy improvements that strengthened P&G’s regional footprint.
On the global stage, he served on the Walmart International team in the United States as a Business Development Manager, overseeing key customer relationships and supporting innovation rollouts across 27 countries. That role involved coordinating large-scale commercial expansion programmes across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Academic grounding from Ibadan to Cornell
Elueni is an alumnus of the University of Ibadan, where he studied Microbiology and graduated in 2001. He later advanced his executive training at Cornell University, completing the Retail Executive Program in 2012.
His academic foundation blends scientific training with executive education, reinforcing his experience in sales strategy, distribution systems, and consumer market expansion.
Strong financial rebound sets the stage
His appointment also comes at a period of improved financial performance for PZ Cussons Nigeria. The company recently returned to profitability, recording a pre-tax profit of N37.9 billion for the half year ended November 30, 2025, a sharp turnaround from a N5.5 billion loss in the same period of the previous year.
Second-quarter earnings of N16.3 billion contributed significantly to the recovery, supported by stronger revenue performance, foreign exchange gains, improved other income, and reduced interest costs.
This financial rebound provides a solid operational backdrop as Elueni assumes leadership, with expectations that he will steer the company into its next phase of growth and strategic consolidation.