Heineken's CEO resigns just weeks ahead of its 2025 results release

The Netherlands | Heineken will release its full year 2025 results on 11 February. Considering that Heineken CEO Dolf van den Brink chose to resign on 12 January after six years at the helm of the world’s number two brewer and only a few months after outlining its new strategy, the figures may not look all that good.

Announcing his exit to take effect on 31 May, the board has launched a search for a successor, while Mr Van den Brink stays on as an advisor for eight months from June.

Van den Brink departs after a difficult few years for the sector as consumer finances came under strain from high costs of living. The industry has had its hopes of a sales revival repeatedly knocked off course by everything from bad weather to political uncertainty. Moreover, Heineken has slipped behind its peers in areas like cost efficiency and investor returns.

This is reflected in Heineken’s share price. It currently hovers around EUR 70 per share, down from EUR 105 in 2023.

Under the company's 2030 strategy, outlined in October, the new CEO will be tasked with refocusing Heineken's resources on certain brands and markets as well as delivering on sales, profit and cost saving targets.

Mr Van den Brink has led Heineken through a series of disruptions in key growth markets like Nigeria and Vietnam, a backlash from investors over problems with its forward-looking guidance, a significant acquisition in South Africa and restructuring efforts, which have left some analysts underwhelmed, though.

Heineken has faced other challenges, including a pricing dispute with European retailers in 2025 that saw its brands removed from shelves in some stores and several high profile court cases over market power abuses, which could prove costly if Heineken is found guilty.

Mr Van den Brink arrived “with high expectations, but Heineken has not delivered on them,” RBC Capital Markets analyst James Edwardes Jones said. “Perhaps this change at the top is what Heineken needs.”