Heineken NV today (Jan. 12) announced that CEO and chairman of the executive board Dolf van den Brink has informed the company he will step down on May 31, after almost six years at the helm and 28 years with the Dutch brewer.
“The Supervisory Board respects Dolf’s decision and will now initiate a search process to appoint a successor,” today’s announcement said. “To ensure the company has full access to Dolf’s industry experience and deep Heineken knowledge, Dolf has agreed to remain available to the company in an advisory capacity for a period of eight months, starting on 1 June 2026” – which would mean through January of next year.
Amid weakening demand and changing consumer preferences, Van den Brink last October helped put in place “EverGreen 2030,” Heineken’s new five-year strategy that includes reshaping its global headquarters and eliminating corporate jobs – or at least transitioning many, up to 600, to new roles.
A follow-up to its EverGreen 2025 plan, EverGreen 2030 is “designed to create a more agile, simplified, and connected organisation, ready to focus on opportunities for growth and innovation.
“EverGreen 2030 places technology and agility at the core of Heineken’s growth plans,” the company said at its reveal. Its Digital Backbone (DBB) is “a multi-year program transforming how Heineken operates across more than 70 markets. By integrating over 40 digital platforms, DBB will simplify processes, unlock the power of data, and enable faster innovation. This will strengthen Heineken’s ability to respond quickly and efficiently to consumer trends and market shifts.”
“After six years as CEO and more than 28 years at Heineken, I believe this is the right moment to transition leadership as the company prepares for the next phase of the EverGreen strategy,” said van den Brink. “The past years have been marked by significant change as Heineken progressed through its transformation and has now reached a stage where a transition in leadership will best serve the company in further executing its long-term ambitions.”
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Dave Fusaro
Editor in Chief
Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.