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04 December 2009

Alain Beyens leaves AB-InBev

Is this what you call an orderly transition? It took AB-InBev more than two weeks to name a successor to Mr Beyens. In early November 2009, the Belgian news magazine Trends published the confirmed rumour that at the end of this year Mr Beyens would leave the world’s number one brewer, which he joined in 1987 and where he has held various positions before being appointed General Manager of InBev Belgium in 1999.

In 2002, Mr Beyens became Regional President BeNeFraLux, and in 2005 Business Unit President Anheuser-Busch InBev Germany, Italy, Spain, Cuba, France and The Netherlands followed by the position of Zone President Central & Eastern Europe in January 2006. Only last year had Mr Beyens been appointed Zone President Western Europe.

On 28 November 2009 AB-InBev’s CEO Carlos Brito appointed Jo Van Biesbroeck to succeed Mr Beyens on 1 January 2010. Mr Van Biesbroeck, 53, joined the former Interbrew in 1978, progressing through various positions of increasing responsibility in control and finance before becoming the company’s Chief Financial Officer from 1993 to 1999.

He later became Senior Vice President Corporate Strategy in 2003, and in December 2004, he was appointed Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer. He became Chief Sales Officer in 2005, and took on his current role as Chief Strategy and Sales Officer at the beginning of this year.

With Mr Beyens gone, the number of Belgian citizens (or former Interbrew executives) on AB-InBev’s board has come down to two out of a total of 14: Mr Van Biesbroeck and Chris Burggraeve, Chief Marketing Officer.

The spotlight is now on CEO Brito: who will he appoint as Mr Van Biesbroeck’s successor, or ultimately as the head of AB-InBev’s western European operations should Mr Van Biesbroeck’s nomination just be a temporary one? There are probably several Brazilian managers queuing for the job already. However, the position might be too politically sensitive to go to a non-Belgian national.

Don’t we all love the politics of the beverage industry?

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