July 1 marked Michel Doukeris’ first official day as the new Chief Executive Officer of Anheuser-Busch InBev. The former president of AB North America was unanimously elected by the company’s Board of Directors to replace outgoing CEO Carlos Brito.
Brito is retiring after 32 years with Anheuser-Busch, the last 15 of which he was CEO. Brendan Whitworth will replace Doukeris as head of the company’s North American division.
Doukeris has consistently championed expanding the company’s Beyond Beer category in the US and Canada. Now, as he enters into his new position, Doukeris is making it clear that the global growth of Beyond Beer at AB InBev is a top priority.
Last week Doukeris posted a lengthy message on LinkedIn expressing excitement for the future of the alcohol beverage company and his new role, “On my first day as CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev, I am energized about our future and opportunities. The last 60 days of transition have been an amazing celebration of our company culture, the 32 years of Carlos Brito’s career and our incredible achievements as a team,” Doukeris wrote on the professional networking platform.
“I’d like to thank my colleagues around the globe, for the work that they do every day. Your passion and dedication fuel our strong culture of ownership that has been – and will continue to be – key to our success. I am excited about our future and the things we will be able to achieve together as we build on our culture. Here’s to a future with more cheers!”
At the bottom of the post Doukeris attached a large infographic featuring his professional headshot, a short personal bio, and a list of six “Key Priorities.” On the top portion image, front and center, he prominently lists “Adding profitable growth in Beyond Beer globally” as a Key Priority.
The Beyond Beer segment, which includes hard seltzers, ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktails, canned wine and more, has exploded in the US in recent years. The category is just beginning to gain momentum globally.
RTD beverages enjoyed global growth of 26.4% last year and are projected to grow another 27% this year. However, the United States accounted for almost half, 44%, of the RTD category’s global volume in 2020 — a statistic that is driven, in large part, by the country’s affinity for hard seltzers. The US hard seltzer category skyrocketed last year, growing a remarkable 130%.
Hard seltzers are leading the pack in the US. However, on an international level, the hard seltzer segment is very much in its infancy. Doukeris’ intent to grow Beyond Beer profits globally is a major step for the company and one that could solidify the RTD category’s international presence as a whole.
Doukeris has not yet provided specifics about how he plans to grow Beyond Beer globally. It is possible the company will accomplish this goal through the acquisition of startups, a strategy that has proven successful for AB InBev in the past. In 2019 the alcohol behemoth acquired its first spirits company, Cutwater. The acquisition has been profitable as Cutwater Spirits continues to expand its product offerings and even recently partnered with Major League Baseball
.
The acquisition of RTD startups by larger, well established beverage alcohol companies, like AB InBev, has been a growing business trend in the US as the giants focus their attention on the category. Investing in RTD startups with profit potential is rapid way for cash-heavy companies to increase their market share within the category, while offering demanding consumers more of the Beyond Beer options. Acquiring international RTD startups would be a strategic way for Anheuser-Busch to gain traction in the global category.
, who has been with Anheuser-Busch for 25 years, was instrumental in growing the company’s North American Beyond Beer segment. He was recently credited in a press release as having “captured more than $1B in revenue in the Beyond Beer category” during his time as president of AB InBev North America.
Doukeris is looking “forward to bringing a fresh perspective that builds on our consumer-first mindset and drives innovation and transformation in this next exciting stage” and he is prioritizing Beyond Beer as part of his global vision for AB InBev.
We couldn’t help but notice Doukeris listed his favorite beer as Budweiser, but we’re more curious about his favorite hard seltzer. We hope to find out as he continues his journey with the company.
We wish Michel Doukeris success in his new position as CEO of Anheuser-Busch.
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