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