Kraft Heinz appoints Miguel Patricio new Chief Executive Officer

USA – Global foods company, Kraft Heinz has appointed Miguel Patricio as new Chief Executive Officer effective July 1, 2019.

Patricio, whose appointment was approved by the company’s board of directors succeeds Bernardo Hees, who will remain with the company until June 30, 2019 to ensure a smooth transition.

“Miguel is a proven business leader with a distinguished track record of building iconic consumer brands around the globe, driving top-line revenue growth through a focus on consumer-first marketing, innovation, and people development,” said Alex Behring, Chairman of Kraft Heinz’s Board of Directors.

He joins Kraft Heinz from Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) where he has spent about two decades of his career as part of the executive leadership team in various positions, driving organic growth and industry-leading margins.

At AB InBev, Mr. Patricio served as the Global Chief Marketing Officer from 2012 to 2018, a role in which he is hailed to have helped accelerate organic sales growth for global brands Corona, Budweiser and Stella Artois.

While at the helm as chief marketer, AB InBev was the most awarded brand owner at Cannes Lions 2018, the global benchmark for effective creative marketing communications.

He also served as AB InBev’s President of Asia Pacific from 2008 to 2012 and President of North America from 2006 to 2008.

With a focus on the premium market, he set the foundation for the growth of the China, growing Budweiser to become the leading brand in China, and expanding the growth of local brands such as Harbin.

According to the company, he led the transformation of AB InBev Asia Pacific, with the region now accounting for about 15% of the company’s global revenue and 18% of global volumes.

“I would like to thank Bernardo personally, and on behalf of the Board, for his many contributions to Kraft Heinz over the last six years,” Mr. Behring added.

“He helped transform the food industry by leading the acquisition of Heinz in 2013 and the merger of Kraft and Heinz in 2015.

“Under Bernardo’s tenure, Kraft Heinz achieved industry-leading margins and sales performance in line with its U.S. peers, developed an organization with best-in-industry quality standards, and built in-house capabilities for category management, including revenue and assortment management.

“We appreciate his contributions.”

Commenting on his appointment, Patricio said: “Kraft Heinz is an incredible company with iconic brands that are loved around the world.

“It will be a privilege and an honor to lead such a talented group of employees as we focus on the consumer to capitalize on the growth opportunities that exist in the rapidly evolving food industry.”