Karei Vuursteen has been Chairman of the
Executive Board since 23 April 1993.
The IVorld ofHeineken wishes him lots of
success in his new post.
generation might be less inclined to
look upon certain problems as an
integral part of the overall business
policy."
"But when you get to around age
sixty you tend to distance yourself a
little from developments within the
company. That brings a greater risk
of hesitation when taking decisions.
The company then needs the drive of
a younger generation."
Heart
As Chairman of the Executive Board
Mr Van Schaik was involved in all
facets of the company. But his heart
lies in marketing, above all in mar
keting strategy: thinking ahead, keep
ing closely in touch with market
developments and taking action at an
early stage.
In a 1990 interview in The World
of Heineken Mr Van Schaik left no
doubts as to his goals: the Heineken
brand ("the crown jewel of our com
pany") was still a long way from ex
ploiting its potential to the full in the
world beer market. "I consider it as
my personal objective to make the
organisation even more flexible and
more efficient so that even more
attention can be devoted to our
brand."
Three years later Mr Van Schaik
concludes that the Heineken brand is
developing well. "I am satisfied with
that. For many years we have built up
the infrastructure in all parts of the
world and the time has now arrived
when we are deriving greater benefit
from that network."
Impulses
The financial results of Heineken N.V.
for 1992 clearly show that Mr Van
Schaik's impulses to give the
Heineken brand added value are now
bearing fruit. Chiefly thanks to
increased sales of the Heineken and
Amstel brands, group profit before
extraordinary income increased by
12.9% to 463 million guilders.
"The Heineken brand is of
essential importance for our compa
ny. If we were to neglect the Heine
ken brand, we would still have a big
brewery but otherwise nothing spe
cial. In volume terms we are a big
brewery, but not if you look at our
financial position. Thanks to the
strength of our Heineken brand, how
ever, we are the world's best known
brewery. The reputation, the 'scale' of
your business are also governed by
the strength of the brand."
And, adds Mr Van Schaik, the
strength of the Heineken brand can
be exploited to an even greater
extent. "One of our objectives is 50%
market share in the premium seg
ment, so that still leaves us with suffi
cient leeway for growth. We are con
centrating these efforts on several
corporate brands, with Heineken as
our flagship."
Closed down
Ray van Schaik's legacy is a thorough
ly healthy business, posting 1992
annual results which were also
greeted with admiration in the finan
cial world. "Good financial figures do
not automatically mean that you are
unassailable. Just one year of care
lessness and you can pull down the
shutters. 1 saw that happen to a busi
ness which had existed for 25 years
and was healthy. One year later it had
closed down."
For Mr Van Schaik his working
life at Heineken has meanwhile also
come to a close. He has no regrets,
but looks back on those many years
with a great deal of pleasure. "I
always had a lot of fun. The chair
manship, although not easy, was also
a challenging and dynamic time.
What Heineken now needs is that
drive from a younger generation.
Young people like to tackle new
things, take risks. With the passing of
the years, the hesitation in your
timing increases. So it's good to know
that a younger generation is there to
take over."
"I divide a human lifetime into
four phases: playing, learning, work
ing and enjoying. I'm now embarking
on that final phase."
THE WOULD OF HEINEKEN
