V
INTRODUCING
RENÉ HOOFT GRAAFLAND
an interview with
a muIti-faced man
working for a m u 11i-
faceted business
Pressure-cooker
The Annual General Meeting of Shareholders on Thursday,
25 April appointed René Hooft Graafland (46) as a Member of
the Executive Board of Heineken N.V.
Mr Hooft Graafland is married, has three children and has worked
for Heineken for twenty years. After graduating in business
economics in Rotterdam, he completed the postgraduate course
for Registered Accountant at the same university. However,
he decided not to go for accountancy, but instead he became one
of the very first Management Trainees at Heineken. His first job
was that of Brand Manager at Dutch soft drinks bottler Vrumona,
followed by the post of Export Manager for Africa.
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During that period the then Financial Director of Heineken asked
him to become Financial Director in the country now known as
the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mr Hooft Graafland:
"Heineken is such a multi-faceted business, so that gives you the
chance to work in various disciplines. After two posts in
Marketing it was tremendous to gain experience in a completely
different field of the business."
"Besides, Africa is a pressure-cooker for Heineken Managers.
Your range of tasks there is often broader and deeper than you
would have to tackle at the same age elsewhere in the
