Praise for new Heineken CEO
Netherlands | The appointment of Dolf van den Brink, 46, as Heineken’s new CEO has created quite some buzz. There would have been the odd complaint that Mr van den Brink is neither black nor a woman. Ah well. But he will still be the brewing industry’ youngest executive.
AB-InBev’s CEO Carlos Brito is 59, Carlsberg’s Cees ‘t Hart is 61. Despite having been groomed for the task, Mr van den Brink will have some big shoes to fill.
Jean-François van Boxmeer has been CEO of Heineken for 15 years. As was pointed out, that is quite a long time, certainly for a Belgian national at the head of a Dutch company. Mr Van Boxmeer is not yet sixty.
End of an era
However, he knew as well as everybody else that the times, when you could clinch major transformative deals in the brewing industry, are over. As CEO, Mr van Boxmer pulled off several big transactions – Scottish & Newcastle, FEMSA Beer in Mexico, Asia Pacific Breweries, Brasil Kirin, China Resources Beer – while managing to protect the family’s control of ownership.
Besides, Mr van Boxmeer is no fool. Experience would have taught him that it is better to retire on your own terms, than to overstay your welcome and be shown the door. Rumour has it that three years ago he only reluctantly agreed to extend his contract.
Heineken is now in good shape. The main challenge for Mr van den Brink is to keep Heineken on its growth trajectory, in times when many markets show flat or declining beer sales. As Mr van Boxmeer stressed during Heineken Full Year 2019 results presentation on 12 February 2020: “Consumption growth should come mainly from Southeast Asia, China, Africa and Central and South America over the next ten years.”
Our man in Africa
That Mr van den Brink knows all of these regions is a big plus. He joined Heineken in 1998 after university, and was given his first foreign posting in 2005 when the firm sent him to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). By all accounts not an easy country nor beer market. Nevertheless, he succeeded in turning Bralima’s fortunes around and reclaim market leadership from Bracongo and Brasimba, both owned by France’s Castel Group. After the DRC, he was made President of Heineken USA (2009-2015), Mexico (2015-2018) and Asia Pacific Region (2018-present).
True, Heineken chose an internal candidate over an outsider to follow Mr van Boxmeer. Nothing wrong with that, if “experiences in Africa” figures prominently in the advertisement for the CEO job. One of the other crown princes within the company, Stefan Orlowski, has announced that he will give up his position as Europe zone director and leave after 22 years. Michiel Herkemij, who spent five years with Heineken (2007-2011), first as CEO in Nigeria and then in Mexico, was quoted as saying on Mr Orlowski’s resignation: “It sounds silly, but [Mr Orlowski] didn’t have that experience in Africa.”
So far, Mr van den Brink has shown himself worthy of the trust his bosses have bestowed in him. As CEO he will have to prove that he can also lead a company with a diverse group of shareholders, who don’t always pull together. Only time will tell if he is up to this challenge.
