Leaving under a cloud

It has recently transpired that the departure of Prof Dr Gustavo Möller-Hergt, Managing Director of Warsteiner Brewery, was accompanied by rumours of irregularities at Warsteiner’s international ventures in Argentina and Cameroon.

If you had followed the media in Cameroon closely – sadly few of us do – you would have been surprised to note that in August this year already there was talk that Ronald Baummeyer, Warsteiner’s local General Manager who ran the SIAC subsidiary, would not return from his holidays in Germany. According to media reports, he had left his villa in July with packed bags. The Cameroonian hacks obviously must have been tipped off that there had been financial irregularities which an internal audit had brought to light.

Because of Mr Baummeyer’s departure, the octogenarian Joachim Haase, who in the 1990s had built the brewery in Cameroon, was flown in to run the show at SIAC– at least temporarily. It seems sad that SIAC, after years of trouble with a local partner, does find it very hard to get on a smooth track of growth. Even Mr Haase who is very much liked by SIAC’s staff will find his current task a bit challenging.

Now over to Argentina, where Warsteiner’s other international venture, the CASA Isenbeck brewery, has given the German owners similar trouble. Around the same time as Mr Baummeyer was let go, the Argentine General Manager Mr Ricardo was also shown the door.

Both changes in personnel were confirmed by Warsteiner.

Could it be that these troubles proved Prof. Dr. Möller-Hergt’s downfall?