Sven Thieme pockets some USD 55 million from Namibia Breweries’ dividend payout

Namibia | The Namibian businessman Sven Thieme, 55, has resigned from the board of Namibia Breweries, following Heineken officially taking control of the local beer market leader on 14 April.

The newspaper The Namibian reported that Mr Thieme, as Chairman, received more than NAD 1 billion (USD 55 million) in a special dividend. This grand payout to shareholders came after almost two years without a dividend. Namibia Breweries had put them on hold pending a buyout approval.

In 2022, Namibia Breweries had net sales of NAD 3 billion (USD 165 million) and a pre-tax profit of NAD 648 million (USD 36 million).

Heineken now owns all of NBL Investment Holdings (NBLIH), which controls 59.4 percent of the shares in Namibia Breweries on the Namibian Stock Exchange. The Dutch brewer acquired Ohlthaver & List’s stake in the holding in a multi-billion transaction. Mr Thieme is the Chairman of O&L.

New board members appointed

Mr Thieme’s resignation became effective on 14 April. As the whole board resigned due to the change in ownership, Heineken took the opportunity to appoint a slew of new directors, including Petrus Maria Johannes Simons.

Mr Simons was also appointed as the new Managing Director of Namibia Breweries. A Heineken veteran, Mr Simons has held various senior executive roles in South Africa, Vietnam, and New Zealand.