Boston Beer Co. Names New President and CEO

March 1, 2024

Former Nike executive Michael Spillane, who has been lead director for Boston Beer, will step into role vacated by the retiring Dave Burwick.

Andy Hanacek

The Boston Beer Co. has announced leadership changes effective Apr. 1, 2024, according to a release from the company. Michael Spillane will become the president and CEO, replacing Dave Burwick, who will retire from the role and as a member of the board of directors.

Spillane currently is lead director of The Boston Beer Co. and has been a board member since 2016. He has previously held senior positions at Nike Inc., serving as president of Consumer Creation and president of Product and Merchandising. He also had served as president and CEO of Nike subsidiaries Umbro and Converse, and general manager of Greater China for the company.

Spillane became Boston Beer’s lead director in May 2023 and had been chair of the compensation committee from 2016 to 2023. He also currently serves as a director at Supergoop, a skin care product company.

Under Burwick, Boston Beer revenue more than doubled, and he helped build two billion-dollar brands in Twisted Tea and Truly. He created partnerships with PepsiCo and Beam Suntory to bolster the company’s brand portfolio in emerging categories.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.