In memoriam
The company has bid a respectful farewell to Alfred Heineken, who started
work on 1 June 1942, at the age of 18, at the brewery his grandfather had
bought in 1864. Heineken N.V. has Alfred Heineken to thank for its transfor
mation from a family company into the international brewing group with the
widest global presence.
As major shareholder in the company and Chairman of the Executive Board, Alfred Heineken
was a major influence on Heineken's long-term strategy and it was his vision to build it into an
international brand. When he stood down as Executive Board Chairman on 27 April 1989, the
company had achieved wider geographical coverage than any other international brewing
group. After serving as Chairman of the Supervisory Board and delegated Supervisory
Director from 1989 to 1995, he ceased to hold an official position within Heineken N.V. but
remained as Chairman and delegated member of the Management Board of Heineken
Holding N.V., which holds his majority holding in Heineken N.V.
Alfred Heineken was also actively involved in social and cultural affairs. In memory of his
father, he set up the Dr. H.P. Heineken Foundation, which has given biennial cash prizes for
pioneering scientific research in biochemistry and biophysics since 1964. In the 1980s he
formed the Alfred Heineken Fondsen Foundation, which awards four biennial cash prizes for
the arts and sciences, the Dr. A.H. Heineken prizes, three of which reward outstanding con
tributions to medicine, history and environmental sciences, the fourth being awarded to an
artist living and working in the Netherlands.
In recognition of his services in various fields, many honours were bestowed on Mr.
Heineken. In the Netherlands, these included Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion and
Commander in the Order of Orange-Nassau. In France, he was made Knight and Officer in the
Order of the Legion of Honour and INSEAD, the international management institute, awarded
him the honorary title of Master of Business Administration. In the United States, Rochester
University made him an honorary Doctor of Law and Hofstra University in New York awarded
him an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters. He was also awarded the Amsterdam Silver
Medal by the Mayor and Aldermen of the city and Silver Academy Medal by the Royal
Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Mr. Heineken's death has deprived the company of a unique man who was devoted heart
and soul to the business and whose multi-faceted personality combined wide-ranging knowl
edge, creativity, intuition and humour. We have a great deal to thank him for and his spirit will
live on forever within our company.