UK- Heineken UK, a subsidiary of Dutch multinational brewing giant Heineken, has announced the appointment of Boudewijn Haarsma as managing director (MD), effective 8 August 2022.

Boudewijn joins the UK business from Russia where he had been serving as the MD from 2018 until recently when the Dutch brewing group decided to exit citing an unfavorable business environment.

During his time in Russia, Boudewijn developed Heineken’s premium portfolio, accelerating innovation and implementing operating efficiencies.

As MD for Heineken UK, Boudewijn will also be a member of the brewer’s Europe management group and will report to Soren Hagh, president, of the Europe Region.

He will succeed Lawson Mountstevens, the current managing director, Star Pubs & Bars, who will continue as interim MD for Heineken UK until the end of July.

Boudewijn has worked in a number of commercial and management roles since joining Heineken in 1995 before moving to Nigeria in 2010, where he led the merger of Heineken’s breweries in Nigeria as MD of Consolidated Breweries.

In 2015, he was appointed as MD for East & West Africa, leading the operating companies in his area to achieve double-digit revenue and profit growth, often underpinned by innovation.

“Boudewijn’s strong track record in managing change and driving growth in large, complex markets will be a crucial contributor to our continued journey as the UK’s leading pub, beer and cider business,” Hagh commented.

“As MD in Russia, Boudewijn also demonstrated huge courage and resilience as well as care and consideration for our people affected by the war in Ukraine.”

Haarsma expressed high hopes of joining in August and working with the Heineken UK’s teams to deliver great service for customers and fantastic experiences for the consumers.

Boudewijn’s appointment comes at a time when the company has been making a lot of investments and divestment in order to remain afloat in the lucrative market.

Last month, the company announced plans to close the Caledonian Brewery in Edinburgh which has been running for more than 150 years, due to a long period of operating under capacity.

Heineken UK stated that the facility could not be viably modernized into a state-of-the-art brewery owing to the considerable ongoing investment required.

Additionally, it pledged an investment of £42 million (US$ 45.24 million) to UK pubs that will see 660 pubs upgraded to enable quick recovery from the covid-19 pandemic.

This latest cash injection brought the total investment in refurbishing its pubs to £115 million (US$ 123.87million) since the pandemic first hit and to £300million (US$323 million) since 2014.

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