Rita Tsehai is one of Africa’s leading business and marketing executives, with more than two decades of experience building brands, leading commercial transformation, and driving growth across Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and other African markets. Throughout her career, she has worked with some of the world's most recognized companies, helping shape iconic brands and navigate highly competitive consumer markets. In this episode of Meri Podcast, Rita shares the lessons behind her remarkable journey, from building brands that became household names to leading large-scale business transformations. We discuss the rise of Walia Beer, the evolution of consumer behavior across Africa, leadership in challenging environments, innovation, corporate culture, and what it takes to build sustainable businesses in a rapidly changing world. Packed with practical insights and real-world experience, this conversation is a must-watch for entrepreneurs, marketers, professionals, and aspiring leaders. Books mentioned in the episode: All Marketers Are Liars: by Seth Godin (later republished as All Marketers Tell Stories) Purple Cow : by Seth Godin GIZ: https://www.giz.de/de/downloads/giz2023-en-private-sector-development-in-ethiopia.pdf To advertise on Meri: https://meri.et/advertise +251974255555 info@meri.et 00:00:00 — Introduction & Guest Profile 00:02:31 — Career Journey & Core Values 00:10:26 — Brand Innovation & Case Studies 00:23:37 — Marketing at Multinational Corporations 00:46:29 — African Consumer Trends 01:11:12 — Executive Leadership & Team Management 01:17:12 — The Ethiopian Market & FMCG Challenges 01:46:41 — Advice for Marketers & Final Reflections Social Links https://t.me/MERI_PODCAST https://twitter.com/MERI_Podcast https://www.instagram.com/meripodcast/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzKNuQ80qNSpt2x-7dsazJg https://youtube.com/@Meriwoch?si=yIpJ3byprnVNwKi1 https://youtube.com/@mericlipset?si=wwa0KeQ_Nv2aPy9l https://www.tiktok.com/@meripodcast https://www.linkedin.com/company/meriethiopian/ Copyright Notice for Meri Podcast: All rights reserved. The content featured in this podcast is protected by copyright laws. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or modification of any portion of this podcast is strictly prohibited. For permission to use our content, please contact us at info@meri.et Thank you for respecting our copyright.