Norman Adami is back

Norman Adami, previously President and CEO of SABMiller Americas, will return to SABMiller to assume the position of Managing Director and Chairman of SAB Ltd in South Africa. Tony van Kralingen, who currently holds this position, has been persuaded to sidestep. He will become Director of Human Resources and Supply Chain for the group.

Trust SABMiller to look after their own. When personal circumstances forced Mr Adami (53) to retire in November last year, SABMiller already made it clear that he would be welcome to return to the company once his private situation was sorted out. However, few would have expected that Mr Adami would be given the post of Managing Director of SAB Ltd in South Africa as of 1 October 2008 – a post he held before he moved to the U.S. to become President and CEO of SABMiller Americas and to turn around Miller Brewing.

South Africa is SABMiller’s most important market still. The South African business contributes 30 percent to the group’s EBITDA compared with North America’s 11 percent and Latin America’s 24 percent.

We are allowed to conclude that the MD position in South Africa is much coveted for it carries enormous clout within the group.

Now why would anybody of Mr van Kralingen’s standing voluntarily give up this position and take on a less highly regarded Human Resources function especially if he has not made any grave mistakes as MD? Expect the transition to have been sweetened by a hefty financial bonus.

Tony van Kralingen (50) will be Director of Human Resources and Supply Chain for the SABMiller Group and will be replacing Johann Nel, who will be retiring from the company in the coming months.