Heineken’s CEO Dolf van den Brink resigned unexpectedly on Monday after six years of leading the Dutch brewer and only a few months after setting its new strategy, as the industry battles to get drinkers buying more beer.
A Reuters report said Van den Brink took the helm at the world’s No.2 beer maker in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in June 2020 and has presided over a turbulent period ever since, marked by huge cost inflation and falling sales that have hurt margins and shares.
Announcing his surprise exit, the board said it will launch a search for a successor to lead the maker of Heineken lager as well as brands like Tiger and Amstel.
Van den Brink, who will step down on May 31, has agreed to remain available as an advisor for eight months from June.
He and the chairman of the supervisory board, Peter Wennink, said now was the right moment for Heineken to appoint new leadership. The company set a new strategy covering the years until 2030 in October.