How did your career at Heineken develop?
What was your first reaction to the nomination for
the Executive Board?
What do you do when you're not working?
How did your career at Heineken develop?
What was your first reaction to the nomination for
the Executive Board?
What do you do when you're not working?
THE WORLD OF HEINEKEN
"For three-and-a-half years, I held various posts within Heineken
Marketing in the Netherlands. After that I became sales manager
and later commercial director at Vrumona. Vrumona has a totally
separate status within Heineken. Soft drinks are obviously not the
same as beer, they call for a different market approach. Thanks to
the ambition and the tightly-knit and innovative culture at Vrumona
we often brought inspiration to the market. Then I spent three years
as General Manager in Slovakia, where we managed to revive
Zlaty Bazant, a brand that was on its last legs. The people were
fantastic to work with. I can still clearly remember that we decided
to give a party for the personnel, to celebrate the fact that
Zlaty Bazant was market leader again and the biggest export brand
from Slovakia. The party was due to start at six p.m. At quarter to
six there was still no-one to be seen. I was somewhat worried;
had we judged our people wrongly? Together with my colleagues
I went to the hall where the party was to be held, and to our relief
twelve hundred people were already there, in their best suits,
waiting for the party to start. They told me the next day that it was
the best party they ever had, and that it should be a yearly event.
After my time in Slovakia I became Export Director at Heineken
Export Group. Heineken Export has a real Heineken spirit and we
made steps towards further professionalisation with a great team."
"It was a great moment for me to be invited to become a member
of the Executive Board. I take pride in it and I find it an honour that
people who have made the brand into what it is today have placed
their confidence in me to help build the future of Heineken."
"I don't think so much in terms of working days. I carry Heineken
with me all the time. I do not see that as a hindrance, more as a
source of motivation. Of course, that doesn't mean that I do nothing
but work. I lead a busy social life with friends, acquaintances and
family. I take part in sport, like classical music and really enjoy din
ing with friends. Previously I used to love cooking meals myself,
but not much has come of that in recent years. I also like reading.
At the moment I am reading a book by Carlos Fuentes, to enjoy the
flavour of the Latin American culture. I prefer to get my inspiration
from the people around me, both within Heineken and outside."
"My first posting after the management traineeship was that of
commercial manager in Rwanda. I had just got married and
during my three years there I felt like I was living in paradise.
After Rwanda I worked for almost seven years in Kinshasa, Zaïre.
First as commercial manager, later as General Manager of Bralima.
I learnt a lot there. Africa is so different from other continents.
You are confronted with situations that you don't experience in
Europe. I have found that the Zairians are enthusiastic and optimistic
people, despite all uncertainties they have to face in their lives.
After Zaïre, I spent almost four years working in Poland as General
Manager of Zywiec, Poland's oldest and best brand of beer. Poland
has a strong culture all of its own. The first year there was difficult.
Zywiec is a remote village, and I had to master the language.
My Zywiec colleagues will always stay close to me. I enjoyed good
times in Poland and had difficulty saying goodbye.
The same applies to all the countries that I've worked in. Each time
you get attached to the country and the people and then the leaving
is always hard. In the meantime I've been working for about a year
as General Manager in Italy. Superb country, splendid cuisine,
creative people, beautiful language."
"I felt very honoured to have been asked to join the Executive
Board. I had been in Italy for only one year when I was asked
whether I would be willing to take this post, I hadn't expected it. I
am grateful for the trust that has been placed in me and I look for
ward to taking up the new challenge."
"I work a lot, it inspires me. Besides that, I enjoy ski-ing and walking,
but more than anything I enjoy good cuisine. Each region has its
own culinary specialities and I love to find out what they are. In that
respect Italy is by far the best. I also like to read, always two books
at the same time. At the moment I'm reading the biography of the
Pope and the memoirs of De Gaulle. That combination is based on
coincidence, but in Poland I was living twenty kilometres from the
place where the Pope was born and I am a great lover of France.
Shortly my wife and I will be moving to the Netherlands, I hope that
we will settle in well here. But, given the openness of the Dutch,
I am very sure we will."
