A la Belge Or the resistible rise of the Belgian brewer Interbrew, Part Two
Come 2005 and Interbrew was going to be the biggest brewer in the world. That was Hugo Powell’s ambitious target. For several years, Interbrew’s family shareholders would stand back and give him free rein. However, when faced with failure the titled worthies dealt mercilessly with the one-time top manager, whose confrontational style of leadership had made them increasingly uneasy.
Hugo Powell as portrayed in one of his last official photographs: the thinning reddish-blonde hair is parted correctly over the left ear. His dark eyes stare back at the camera arrogantly, heavy eyelids almost reducing them to slits. The thin lips are pressed tightly together, unsmiling. He wears no tie. In the background looms the blurred image of a mighty old pile set in a formal French parkland.
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