The Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) has appointed Juliana Kagwa as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
The experienced Marketer came out on top in the race of five, including Peter Muramira, Grace Nshemere Makuba Gwaku, Chemonges Sabila, and Simon Peter Kasyate, who all vied for the Board’s top position.
She replaces Ms Lilly Ajarova, who left the Board in March this year and was later appointed Senior Presidential Advisor on Tourism affairs.
Ms Kagwa, joins from SeedCo (The African Seed Company) in South Africa, where she was most recently Group Marketing & Sales Director.
The experienced Marketer began her career as a graduate management trainee at Diageo and later worked in various marketing roles across Uganda and Kenya, including a stint as Country Manager for Heineken.
She worked at Uganda Breweries Limited for over 17 years, where she served in senior leadership positions, including Corporate Relations Director and Marketing & Innovations Director
At UBL, Ms Kagwa was instrumental in driving brand growth through the premiumization of products like Tusker Lite and Guinness, while also leading strategic media spend reforms that resulted in record market visibility for the company.
Her corporate background in marketing, communications, and innovation is expected to bring a new dimension to the board’s promotional strategy.
Ms Kagwa holds a BSc in Food Science and Technology from Makerere University and an MBA from Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University.
As CEO, Kagwa will be based at the UTB headquarters in Kampala and reports directly to the Board of Directors.
Her responsibilities include overseeing the Deputy CEO, managers, and the Senior Internal Auditor.
The role she overtakes involves implementing the Strategic Plan, promoting Uganda as a tourist destination, building partnerships, managing finances and procurement, and ensuring compliance with industry standards.
The position demands frequent travel, long working hours, and dedication to UTB’s mission of sustainably growing Uganda’s tourism sector.
The appointment comes at a time when the institution is under increasing pressure to reposition Uganda as a competitive global tourism destination
