Helene Weesie is a Senior Advisor, Strategy & Finance at First Key Consulting. She is an energetic, entrepreneurial senior executive with 30+ years’ experience in the brewing and beverage industry across Europe, Africa/Middle East and the Caribbean/Central America. Helene works as an associate consultant with our clients on strategic vision & implementation; turnaround management; innovation & brand building; employee engagement; sustainability/ESG strategy & implementation; performance improvement and stakeholder management across different cultures and regulatory systems.
Prior to joining First Key, Helene led the Diageo operations in Ghana as Managing Director, handling a broad portfolio of international & local brands in beer, RTD, non-alc and spirits. During Helene’s first assignment with Diageo/Serengeti Breweries in Tanzania, as Managing Director she transformed the overall business & portfolio strategy and restructured the organization. From 1993-2014, Helene worked with Heineken International in various roles around the world. She was Managing Director of Heineken in Panama and prior to that was Marketing & Sales Director, Heineken Africa & Middle-East with responsibility for 15 local Heineken operations. Helene was a Member of the management team of Heineken Caribbean where she was responsible for business development and P&L, as well as marketing and commercial strategy in all 32 Caribbean markets. Over the course of her career Helene has had extensive board experience including with Guinness Ghana, Serengeti Breweries Limited, Cervecerias Baru Panama, Sirocco, the JV Heineken/Emirates in UAE and with the JV Heineken/Angostura in Trinidad & Tobago.
Helene received an award for Woman Led Business of the Year in 2021 and was voted CEO of the Year of the Manufacturing Sector in 2022 and 2023. She completed her Masters Degree Marketing & Sociology, University of Wageningen, Netherlands and also attended Wharton Business School, London Business School and INSEAD. Helene speaks English, Spanish, Dutch and German. Outside of First Key, Helene enjoys traveling, arts and culture and is passionate about diversity & inclusion.
