East/West Africa – Dutch multinational brewing company, Heineken, has appointed the Managing Director of Heineken Ireland, Maarten Schuurman, as the new Managing Director of Heineken’s East and West Africa region, effective 1 April 2023.

According to his LinkedIn page, Schuurman has more than 26 years of managerial experience, having served as the managing director of Heineken’s Burundi unit, Brasseries et Limonaderies du Burundi (Brarudi S.A), between Aug 2011 – Aug 2015. Brarudi S.A. is the largest brewer and soft beverage company in the Republic of Burundi.

In his new role, he will be responsible for the brewer’s operating companies in Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, Sierra Leone, Mozambique and a joint venture business in Dubai.

At the same time, the Dutch brewer has promoted Heineken Ireland’s current commercial director, Sharon Walsh, to the position of Managing Director, replacing Schuurman.

Commenting on Walsh’s appointment, Schuurman said that while he was sad to be leaving Heineken Ireland after four years to take up another role in the group, he could not have wished for a better successor.

“Sharon has been a fantastic management team member for many years, and I wish her every success in her new role as managing director,” he said.  

“Sharon’s broad business knowledge, leadership, creative drive, and competitive spirit will be of great value to drive the next chapter of sustainable and responsible growth at Heineken Ireland,” Schuurman said.

Before she joined the brewer in 2011 as marketing director, Walsh spent seven years with Coca-Cola in Ireland, having joined from Diageo where she worked across brands like Baileys and Smirnoff.

For over 11 years at Heineken, Walsh held several senior roles within Heineken Ireland and across the brewer’s global operations.

In 2011, she led the company’s move into the cider sector and an expansion of its overall brand portfolio. The positive response to the launch of Orchard Thieves cider in Ireland led to a rollout of the brand in many other countries across the world.

In 2016, she was appointed global cider director of Heineken and worked at its headquarters in Amsterdam. Walsh was instrumental in designing a clear business strategy, innovations, and a variety of flavors and tastes, thereby consolidating Heineken’s global leadership in cider.

In 2020, she returned to Ireland as commercial director and steered the sales division through a phase that saw some of the longest and toughest COVID-19 closures in the hospitality sector in Europe.

Walsh holds a degree and higher diploma in hotel and catering management, and a Master’s Degree in strategic international marketing from DCU, Ireland.

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