Heineken CEO van Boxmeer steps down
Netherlands | On 11 February 2020, the Supervisory Board of Heineken announced the upcoming succession of Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO Jean-François van Boxmeer, following his 15-year-long leadership of the firm.
The Supervisory Board will nominate Dolf van den Brink, 46, currently President of Heineken’s Asia Pacific region, to be appointed as CEO at the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) on 23 April 2020, for a period of four years.
Ensuring a smooth transition, Mr van Boxmeer, 58, will hand over his responsibilities to Mr van den Brink on 1 June 2020, a statement said.
Mr van Boxmeer joined Heineken as a management trainee in 1984. After a number of international management positions, he was appointed member of the Executive Board in 2001. In 2005, Mr van Boxmeer became CEO of Heineken.
Big spender
He is credited with having more than doubled the brewer’s turnover, as he transformed Heineken from a mainly European firm into a global one, through acquisitions, valued at more than EUR 30 billion (USD 33 billion), says the Financial Times.
Although Mr van Boxmeer’s departure came as a surprise, there is no reason to suspect it was triggered by any internal discords. Besides, Mr van Boxmeer will not leave Heineken altogether. Heineken Holding, which owns 50.005 percent of Heineken, will propose to its AGM on 23 April 2020 that he shall join the Holding’s board as a non-executive director on 1 June 2020, for a maximum period of four years.
In a separate announcement, Heineken said that Stefan Orlowski, 53, currently President of Heineken’s Europe zone, has resigned after 22 years with the company to pursue his private entrepreneurial interests. Mr Orlowski will leave before the summer, and his successor will be announced in due course.
