DENMARK – The Supervisory Board of Carlsberg Group has acknowledged receiving the intentions of the group’s CEO Cees ‘t Hart to retire from Carlsberg by the end of Q3 2023 at the latest, after eight successful years at the helm.
Danish multinational brewer has announced the search for his replacement has started, and in due course, an official communication will be made.
The company noted that since Cees took office in 2015, the group has been significantly strengthened, as demonstrated by its strong financial, strategic, organizational, and societal health.
From 2015, total cash returns to shareholders in the form of dividends and share buy-backs have increased fivefold – reaching DKK 7.8bn in 2022.
In 2022, Carlsberg delivered all-time high revenue and operating profit of DKK 70.3bn and 11.5bn, respectively.
However, the beer giant has been hit by the conflict in Ukraine: taking the ‘difficult but unavoidable decision’ last year to divest its Russian business where it had previously been the 2 in market position.
Cees ‘t Hart will stay on to see through the sale of the Russian business before transitioning to non-executive roles.
Meanwhile, the CEO has also been behind the company’s SAIL ’22 strategy launched in 2016 to strengthen the core business and identify future growth opportunities.
Chair of the Supervisory Board Henrik Poulsen: “Cees ‘t Hart has delivered remarkable results during his time at Carlsberg. Cees has been a catalyst for performance, achieving excellent results, and a true leader, ensuring the successful strategic transformation of the Carlsberg Group. Under his leadership, the group has navigated significant challenges, including the difficult COVID-19 years, the war in Ukraine, and the ongoing sale of Russian business.”
“Cees leaves behind a purpose-led and performance-driven company with solid strategic, financial, organizational, and societal health. On behalf of the Supervisory Board, I thank Cees for his extraordinary contribution to Carlsberg and wish him the very best for the future.”
Before joining Carlsberg, Cees ‘t Hart was the CEO of the dairy giant Royal Friesland Campina. He had also spent some years in various roles with Unilever prior to Royal Friesland Campina’s appointment.
CEO Cees ‘t Hart said: “It has been a privilege leading Carlsberg the past eight years. I’m immensely proud of the organization and the results we as a team have achieved… Staying on board for another half a year will allow me and the team to continue delivering on our challenging plans for 2023 and accomplishing the sale of the Russian business before the summer. Thereafter, I’ll focus on some interesting non-executive roles.”
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