Stefan Orlowski heads to US in Heineken reshuffle

By MARTIN FLANAGAN
Published on 09/02/2013 00:00

BREWING major Heineken unveiled a raft of senior management changes yesterday, including the departure of its UK managing director Stefan Orlowski to become the New York-based president of the Americas division.

Orlowski, who divides his time between Edinburgh and London, joined the business in 2009 after joining the Dutch parent group in 1998. He will move to the US in July to succeed the retiring John Nicolson. Nicolson is a former veteran of Scottish & Newcastle Breweries which was taken over and broken up by Heineken and Carlsberg of Denmark in 2008.

Heineken said yesterday that Orlowski’s replacement in the UK, which has been sharply restructured in the past few years, would be announced “within weeks”. It triggered market speculation that the successor might be an outside appointment unlike yesterday’s internal shake-up.

The company said Australian-born Orlowski had driven growth in the UK, where Heineken’s leading brands include Kronenbourg 1664 and John Smith’s, showing “the leadership and technical skills needed to win in the marketplace”.

Other Heineken changes included chief commercial officer Alexis Nasard being made president western Europe and chief marketing officer, and Jan Derck van Karnebeek adding chief sales officer to his role of president central and eastern Europe.

Didier Debrosse, currently regional president western Europe, becomes head of the brewer’s Brazilian arm while Roland Pirmez, chief executive of Asia Pacific Breweries retains that role and adds that of president Asia Pacific.

The company also said yesterday that its $6.4bn (£4.1bn) 
acquisition of full control of Asia Pacific Breweries (APB) last year would yield costsavings of €25 million (£21m) phased over this year and 2014.

Heineken said that there would also be a €1.5bn exceptional gain in its 2012 results – to be posted next Wednesday – following a revaluation of its previously held equity interest in APB and other assets in the region.