Beck’s brewery boss sacked over drink-driving incident
He should have known better. The head of the German unit of the world’s biggest brewer AB-InBev, Till Hedrich, lost his job with immediate effect over a drink-driving incident, media reported on 2 June 2015.
Mr Hedrich, 44, who joined the group in 1996, had only been in charge of Beck’s since January. He admitted to causing a car crash on a motorway south of Munich on 30 April 2015 while being significantly under the influence of alcohol. The German tabloid BILD reported that three people were injured and had to be taken to hospital. The damage amounted to EUR 72,000. Mr Hedrich’s blood alcohol level allegedly was 0.12%.
Justifying the immediate dismissal, a spokesperson for Beck’s said: “We, as a company that produces alcohol, have strict internal rules and recommendations for consumers for the enjoyment of alcoholic beverages.” These include a no-tolerance policy for employees driving under the influence, with a clause stipulating “career consequences” for any violations.
When in 2006 U.S. brewer Peter Coors had his driver’s licence revoked for driving under the influence of alcohol in Colorado, after failing to heed a stop sign, we at BRAUWELT International wondered why he had not ordered a taxi to take him home from the wedding he had attended.
In the case of Mr Hedrich, cynical observers speculated why he did not use a chauffeur service – unless such services were abolished in an earlier cost cutting round?
