A WOMAN
WHO COUNTS
December 1984
Number 2
PAGE
Contents:
Page
Walking to sell
2
Readers' letters
2
A woman who counts
3
A dunce without us
4
Small but plucky
5
Management changes
5
In brief
5
A fine experience
6
A champion player
6
More profit
7
Throw them away?
7
Black's not a colour
8
The best
People
INTERNATIONAL MAGAZINE
HEINEKEN TOWARDS 1985
How does Mr. G. van Schaik,
vice-chairman of our Executive
Board, see Heineken on the
threshold of 1985? We went along to
interview him to find out.
"Heineken intends to remain an
international business concentrating
on top-quality alcoholic beverages and
soft drinks. And it also intends to
expand" were Van Schaik's first words.
"Well, there's certainly no doubt that
we have a lead over any of our
competitors in the world as regards the
size of our sales area. There's no other
drinks group that sells its products on
so many markets. Heineken is the
lager with the widest international
distribution in the world. In that field
we're the world record-holders."
Mr. Van Schaik expands further on this
point. Calmly, but emphatically, he
reminds us that a champion needs to do
a lot to hold on to his title. In the sports
world he has to keep on training
unceasingly if he doesn't want to get
knocked off his pedestalAnd the same
applies to us. We know for sure that our
competitors will do their utmost to try
to catch up with us. They won't find it
an easy job, as we've succeeded over
the past 35 years in building up a highly
international circle of customers
thanks to our big, world-wide network
of specialised and dedicated agents and
distributors.
"We are big", he continues, "but that
also means that our organisation is
rather cumbersome and may have
difficulty in adapting alertly to the
many things that are happening in the
world. Providing service is something
that has helped to make us big. But all
around us we can see standards of
service declining. I truly hope that that
spirit of being of service to others will
not disappear at Heineken. Another
thing I think is incredibly dangerous is
that some people sometimes claim that
almost all beer brewed throughout the
world is of more or less the same
quality. If we, as Heineken employees,
start to believe that sort of fairy story,
then we're simply demolishing our own
future. In any case, there's no truth in
it. Heineken stands head and
shoulders above all others beers. And
to prove my point: there are thousands
of beer brands in the world. But there
are only a few of those which are
considered by consumers in highly
different markets as being truly luxury
beers. And, of those few, Heineken is
the biggest."
"We're international. Within our
concern we work together with
employees of various nations, diverse
cultures. We can all learn from one
Heineken France's Mutzig brewery in the snow. A water colour by Pascale Duanyer-Marziou, wife of H. Marziou, desk-
manager of Heineken France's Commercial Department for the Eastern part of France. In the past ten years Mrs. Marziou has
exhibited her works with success both in France and abroad.
another. All the know-how we build up
in this way has to help us keep that lead
we now have. That know-how is so
terribly important. That exchange of
knowledge. There's no longer any
question of a one-way traffic within our
concernI mean from just one country
to the others."
There is a moment of silence and then
Mr. Van Schaik concludes with the
following words: "At the moment we're
the world record-holders. Every world
champion in sport can train as much as
he likes, but he will get that bit older all
the time until, one day, he'll be the
loser. He ought to be able to stay
young. The big difference between a
sportsman and a company is that a
company can stay young thanks to the
mentality of its employees! Thanks to
those employees and all those good
resources we have in our company,
we've got the basis for a good future.
And so that also gives me a good basis
for confidently wishing you all:
G. van Schaik, vice-chairman of the Executive Board of Heineken N. V., pictured during our conversation.
There is a strong note of conviction in
Mr. Van Schaik's voice as he says this.
And in the same tone he adds: "It's the
people who have to make it come true.
I mean, our employees. They have to
use their talents when they go on to the
market to sell. They have to be sure
that they have the backing of
colleagues who can work quickly and
can respond effectively and rapidly to
new challenges."
The word 'people' keeps recurring in
his story. He's well aware that in a big
organisation there may occasionally be
things that are frustrating to the
individual. But what he would like to
shout out loud to such people is: "Look
at what's happening out there
with your company in mind and use
that as a goal to work towards. Don't
wrap yourself away inside the cocoon
of the organisation and sit there
moping. The fun is out there!" From
the smile on his face it's easy to see that
he means what he says.