INDIA – Belgium-based and World’s largest beer company AB InBev has appointed Vineet Sharma as Vice President incharge of marketing and new business development for South Asia.
Sharma, who joined AB InBev in 2016, was the trade marketing director for South Asia before his promotion to the new role.
“I am thrilled to embark on this new journey to accelerate AB InBev’s business transformation agenda in South Asia,” Vineet Sharma said.
“I look forward to working closely with our teams, business associates and partners to lead the charge through a diverse portfolio of global brands, and further build AB InBev’s leadership position in India.”
In his new role, Sharma will be responsible for accelerating growth of the world’s biggest brewer’s existing portfolio of global brands.
In addition to his new responsibilities, Sharma will continue to head the company’s trade marketing initiatives.
“Vineet’s strategic vision has been instrumental in shaping the marketing strategy for Budweiser and our game plan for consumer and customer-focused initiatives in the trade,” said Kartikeya Sharma, president – India & South East Asia for AB InBev.
Vineet holds an MBA degree in marketing and strategy from XLRI Jamshedpur and comes to his new role with a decade’s experience in global business management, according to a statement from the Brewer.
He has held critical positions at multiple FMCG companies such as ITC Limited, Dabur International Limited and Unilever in South East Asia, India, Middle East and North Africa.
“He will play a critical role in revolutionizing our marketing strategies, innovations and engagement with consumers while finding whitespace opportunities to lead AB InBev to continued success,” Kartikeya added.
AB InBev is the second largest brewer in the country after United Breweries that makes Kingfisher beer. Together, they control three-fourths of the Indian beer market.
AB InBev settles dispute with Patagonia
Meanwhile, in the United States, AB InBev agreed to settle a dispute with American outdoor clothing company Patagonia over the launch of a Patagonia-branded beer.
Patagonia first brought its case against AB InBev in 2019 after the latter released a new beer brand with a “strikingly similar” logo to the outdoor clothing specialist.
The two companies have now decided to bury the hatched and have filed a joint stipulation at the Central District Court of California where they both sought to dismiss the lawsuit.
“The parties stipulate and agree to the dismissal with prejudice of this entire action, including all claims and counterclaims, pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure,” the court documents read.
A week earlier, the brewing giant released a new, more sustainable six pack packaging concept for the Corona beer brand.
The design uses leftover barley straw from farmers’ harvests to create a paper board for producing packaging, a circular process targeting waste elimination.
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