2003 in Retrospect inspire their employees to be pro-active. The current leadership development programmes, processes and criteria, including selection and remuneration, were reviewed in 2003 in the light of the demands of the 'Taking Heineken to the Next Level' project and the necessary changes will be implemented in 2004 on that basis. Recruiting and developing top inter national talent is crucially important to Heineken. To support the company's global growth and the changes to the organisa tion which it is currently implementing, highly-trained staff are needed who are willing to take responsibility and do not shrink from international challenges, a profile which fits well with the needs of today's generation of recent graduates. Organisation 'Taking Heineken to the Next Level' has resulted in many changes in the organi sation. The purpose of these changes is to create win-win situations in joint ventures, to make Heineken more effective in takeover situations, to improve the performance of our brands, to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of our distribution and to promote a culture in which there is scope for entrepeneurship, innovation and diversity. As far as possible, management deci sions are taken at local level, where local market knowledge is concentrated. Partly for that reason, the export oper ations which were previously directed from Amsterdam have now been trans ferred to the operating companies, making it easier for them to optimise their local brand portfolios. The tasks of many other central departments have been redefined, with some tasks being transferred to operating companies to improve effec tiveness and some combined with other central services to achieve synergy gains and cost savings. The operating companies have started work on harmonising and refining their financial reporting, so that their perform ance can be evaluated more accurately on the basis of performance indicators and appropriate action can be taken where necessary. Training Heineken as an organisation is committed to continuous learning. A comprehensive and flexible training programme is vitally important in enabling us to respond quickly and effectively to developments in the market and maintain our lead in the international beer sector. The Heineken University, which provides programmes to supplement our regular local and international training courses, celebrated its fifth birthday in 2003. The object of the Heineken University is to promote the development, sharing, dissemination and use of strategic expertise within Heineken, such that it can be applied in practice immediately. The Heineken University is constantly seeking new ways of supporting learning and development processes via the internet. Programmes are regularly updated to reflect the changing demands of management and leadership, the effectiveness of virtual teams and learning processes in different cultures. E-learning platforms are organised on a regular basis. The content of the training programmes is consistent with the Geographical distribution of personnel in numbers Central/Eastern Europe 15,791 Western Europe (excluding Netherlands) 18,024 Africa/Middle East 11,941 Americas 5,435 Asia/Pacific 4,824 Netherlands 5,256 REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD 23

Jaarverslagen en Personeelsbladen Heineken

Jaarverslagen | 2003 | | pagina 29