Anheuser-Busch InBev is reshuffling its commercial leadership team in the U.S. on the heels of the July promotion of Brendan Whitworth as North American Zone and U.S. CEO.
The world’s largest beer manufacturer today announced a series of moves, including the promotion of Whitworth’s successor as U.S. chief sales officer, the creation of a U.S. chief commercial officer role and a change at chief marketing officer.
Taking over Whitworth’s former post will be Simon Wuestenberg, the current president of A-B’s wholly owned distributor business, AB ONE.
Wuestenberg has served in a variety of leadership positions since joining A-B more than five years ago, including midwest region VP of sales, where he’s credited with helping grow market share for three consecutive years after eight years of declines, and helping 90% of the company’s wholesaler partners post topline growth. Wuestenberg also worked as VP of on-premise, and is credited with growing market share with national customers and turning around two years of declines.
In addition to filling the chief sales officer role, A-B promoted Kyle Norrington to the new role of U.S. chief commercial officer.
Norrington, who is the current president of Labatt in Canada, will be in charge of A-B’s sales and marketing efforts in the U.S. He is a 21-year A-B InBev veteran with stints in various sales and marketing roles, including overseeing global brands Budweiser, Stella Artois and Corona prior to leading Labatt in Canada.
Additionally, A-B said U.S. chief marketing officer Marcel Marcondes is in the process of transitioning to a new role within A-B InBev and U.S. chief strategy officer Benoit Garbe will succeed him as CMO.
Marcondes, whom the company credited with growing Michelob Ultra into the No. 2 beer brand by volume in the U.S. and delivering more than $1 billion in sales of new products, will assume a new role that the company said will be announced at a later date.
Garbe offers more than two decades of marketing experience, having worked with top brands such as Diageo, Nike and luxury brand house LVMH. Since joining A-B, Garbe “has brought a refreshed view of the company’s approach to key regions and demographics to unlock consumer-centric growth,” the company said.
“Over the last four years, we have developed and implemented a clear and consistent consumer-first strategy that has resulted in strong momentum for our U.S. business,” Whitworth said in a release. “The new commercial structure we are announcing today, along with key leadership changes, will make us better partners to our wholesalers and retailers, ultimately accelerating our momentum in the U.S.”
Whitworth took over the top post in the U.S. on July 1 from Michel Doukeris, who took over for Carlos Brito as CEO of A-B InBev global.
Year-to-date through August 8, off-premise dollar sales of A-B products are down -3.2%, to more than $10 billion, in multi-outlet and convenience stores tracked by market research firm IRI. Case sales through that same period have declined -6.5%, the firm reported.
Nevertheless, A-B boasts the top two selling beers in the U.S., with Bud Light (-7.3% YTD through August 8, to more than $3 billion in sales) and Michelob Ultra (+4.4% YTD, to more than $1.7 billion in sales).