Anheuser-Busch InBev has pulled from within its ranks for its next North American Zone and U.S. CEO, naming Brendan Whitworth to the post today.
Whitworth, who has worked within A-B since 2013, had served as the world’s largest beer manufacturer’s U.S. chief sales officer. He takes the reins July 1 from Michel Doukeris, who is supplanting Carlos Brito as CEO of A-B InBev global.
“Over the last four years, Brendan has helped to shape and drive our 10-year commercial strategy. His market insights, consumer-first mindset, and strong leadership have been invaluable assets on our journey to lead industry growth,” Doukeris said in a press release. “With his deep roots in the U.S., his experience partnering with our wholesaler and retail customers, and his ability to inspire the North America team, I am confident Brendan is the right leader to accelerate our momentum in the U.S. and Canada.”
Brito called Whitworth “an exceptional leader with a proven track record of success and deep relationships in the U.S.”
“His appointment will build on our strong momentum in North America,” he added.
Whitworth said he is “humbled and honored” by the promotion.
“As someone with deep personal and professional connections to the U.S, I could not be more excited to continue this journey alongside my exceptional colleagues,” he added. “I’d like to thank Michel for his confidence in me and for his partnership the last four years. I believe our best is yet to come as we continue to strengthen our industry, drive value for our customers and consumers, and make a positive and lasting impact in our communities.”
A-B laid out a list of Whitworth’s list of accomplishments with the global brewer, including:
- “Improving U.S. top-line revenue trend by 2.8 percentage points from 2017 to 2020.
- Capturing more than $1 billion of revenue ‘Beyond Beer’ through a combination of organic brand building, strategic acquisitions, and innovative partnerships.
- Fueling the growth of Michelob ULTRA, the #1 beer share gainer and #2 brand in dollar sales.
- Leading the implementation of Anheuser-Busch’s innovative e-commerce platforms to better serve customers and consumers.
- Strengthening relationships with wholesalers and retail business partners, resulting in being ranked the #1 alcohol beverage supplier by U.S. retailers in the annual Advantage Survey.”
Whitworth’s resume includes leadership stints as VP of U.S. Trade Marketing, VP of Sales U.S. Northeast Region, and Global VP Tech Sales. Prior to joining A-B, he served as senior director of sales for PepsiCo-Frito Lay. He also served as a counterterrorism center operations officer for the CIA and was a first lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Year-to-date through May 16, off-premise dollar sales of A-B products have declined 4.8%, to more than $1.4 billion, in multi-outlet and convenience stores tracked by market research firm IRI. However, these numbers come up against tough year-ago comps during the outset of the pandemic and they don’t factor in the return of on-premise retailers.
A-B said Whitworth’s successor as chief sales officer will be named at a later date.
In addition to Whitworth’s promotion, A-B announced the appointment of Ezgi Barcenas to its senior leadership team as chief sustainability officer. Barcenas will step into the role on August 1, and she will report to Doukeris.
Tony Milikin will step down as chief sustainability and procurement officer on August 1.