People Moves: Worthy Brewing Hires New CEO; Heineken Shuffles Executives

Former CBA Exec Named New Worthy Brewing CEO

Bend, Oregon’s Worthy Brewing has named former Craft Brew Alliance executive John Glick as its new CEO.

Glick had served as vice president of CBA’s emerging business unit until February, when the company announced it was shutting down the division and parting ways with Glick.

At Worthy, Glick will be “running the show,” according to a press release. As CEO, he will oversee sales, branding, production and recipe development, the company said. He’ll also oversee operations at Worthy’s pub and the forthcoming Taps & Tacos slated to open in June in downtown Bend.

“He’s a natural leader with that rare blend of wit, scrappiness and wonkiness,” Worthy owner Roger Worthington said of Glick in a press release. “He can manhandle the spreadsheets in the morning, sell to our key accounts in the afternoon, and wax eloquently about what makes a beer great in the evenings. And in between all that he can motivate the team to play hard, have fun and win.”

For Glick, becoming the CEO of the 6-year-old craft brewery is a “dream job.”

“I’ve always wanted to run a craft brewery and Worthy is exactly what I was looking for,” he said in the release. “They’re an emerging brand with a unique story, a diverse portfolio of balanced beers, a can-do culture, and a first-class facility.”

Glick comes to Worthy with more than 25 years in the beer industry. He served in several vice president roles with CBA, including operations, business development, supply chain and logistics, according to his LinkedIn page. He also worked for nearly two decades at Anheuser-Busch’s St. Louis headquarters in a variety of roles, including vice president of business development.

Heineken Announces Leadership Changes

Heineken N.V. announced a series of leadership changes last month, including the appointment of Dolf van den Brink as president of the Dutch beer company’s Asia Pacific region.

Van den Brink, who has been with Heineken for two decades, will assume the role on October 1, according to a press release. In his new position, van den Brink will report directly to chairman and CEO Jean-François van Boxmeer and serve on the company’s executive team.

“Dolf has an outstanding track-record building high performing teams in both developed and developing markets,” van Boxmeer said, via a press release. “His strong leadership and people skills, coupled with his strategic, commercial and marketing insights, will be very valuable assets in driving continued growth in the Asia Pacific region.”

Van den Brink, who has served as managing director of Heineken Mexico since 2015, will assume the role from Frans Eusman, who after three years leading the Asia Pacific region is taking over as executive director global audit. That role is being vacated by Joop Brakenhoff, who is leaving the company after eight years.

“As President Asia Pacific for the past three years, [Eusman] he has driven strong top and bottom-line results in this important region,” van Boxmeer said, via a press release. “His robust support behind the Tiger brand has made it the €1 billion brand it is today.”

Van den Brink is the former managing director of Heineken USA (October 2009 to August 2015). He also previously worked as commercial director at Heineken’s Bralima Brewery in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Meanwhile, Etienne Strijp, the current Heineken Russia managing director, will take over as managing director of Heineken Mexico in October. Strijp has previously worked for Heineken’s divisions in the Czech Republic, Panama, Argentina, Colombia and the Netherlands.

David Coors Named AC Golden President

As of May 1, David Coors is the new president of MillerCoors’ decade-old AC Golden Brewing Company, according to the MillerCoors blog.

AC Golden was founded by David Coors’ father, Pete Coors, and Glenn “Knip” Knippenberg.

Knippenberg recently retired from the company, opening the door for the 36-year-old scion.

“The AC Golden business is unique to us and it’s pretty special,” David Coors told the company’s blog. “It’s about heritage and legacy, and being able to play a part in that from a family perspective is an honor for me.”

As part of the leadership change, the AC Golden brand, which produced about 15,000 barrels of beer last year, is being shifted into MillerCoors’ craft and import division, Tenth and Blake, according to the blog.