InBev on October 9 announced the appointments of Luiz Fernando Edmond and David A. Peacock to the North American leadership team of Anheuser-Busch InBev, to become effective upon the closing of the combination of Anheuser-Busch Companies and InBev.
Upon close of the transaction, Luiz Fernando Edmond will become zone president North America, and David A. Peacock will become president of Anheuser-Busch. As previously announced, St. Louis will be the North American headquarters for the combined company and the global home of the flagship Budweiser brand. Both executives will be based in St. Louis.
As zone president North America, Luiz Fernando will oversee all of Anheuser-Busch InBev’s operations in the United States and Canada. He currently serves as InBev’s zone president Latin America North and AmBev’s chief executive officer, positions that he has held since January 2005. Since joining AmBev in 1990 as a trainee, Luiz Fernando has held various positions in the distribution, commercial and supply departments. Prior to his current role, he was sales officer, a position he held from 2002 to 2004. He has an engineering degree from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.
Luiz Fernando’s current position at InBev and AmBev will be filled by Joao Castro Neves, who currently serves as InBev’s zone president Latin America South. The incumbent zone president for North America, Bernardo Pinto Paiva, will move from Canada to Argentina to become zone president Latin America South, replacing Joao.
As president of Anheuser-Busch, David Peacock will manage all U.S. operations for the combined company, including the brand management of Budweiser and Bud Light. He will assume this position after having served as vice president of marketing of Anheuser-Busch Incorporated and chief executive officer of Wholesaler Equity Development Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. David, a native of St. Louis who began working for Anheuser-Busch in 1992, has held positions in corporate planning, brand management, corporate media and retail sales promotion. He received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Kansas University and his master’s in business administration from Washington University.
Commenting on the appointments, Carlos Brito, InBev’s chief executive officer, said, “I’m extremely pleased to announce these two critical appointments to the team that will lead the North American zone of the new Anheuser-Busch InBev. Luiz Fernando has been an integral part of InBev’s management team since its inception, and under his leadership our Latin American business has thrived. His strong leadership, international experience and familiarity with our company make him uniquely qualified for this position within Anheuser-Busch InBev. I have known and respected Dave Peacock for quite some time, and am confident he is the ideal person to lead the Anheuser-Busch US operations going forward as part of Anheuser-Busch InBev. His knowledge of Anheuser-Busch’s brands, as well as the people and process behind the brands, will prove invaluable to the successful integration of these two leading global brewers, and I look forward to our continued work together when he assumes his new role.”
Luiz Fernando said, “I am excited to take on this role at our company, and look forward to working with Dave to ensure that the integration between these two great companies is as smooth as possible. I have tremendous respect for the Anheuser-Busch brands and the history and heritage behind them, and am eager to work with my colleagues to preserve the quality and leading legacy of these brands in North America.”
Peacock said, “Over the past several years, I have witnessed firsthand in the United States how our two companies can work together successfully to the benefit of consumers and wholesalers. Over the last several months, I have spent a significant amount of time with the InBev team, and now feel even more confident that we can work together effectively to create new opportunities for all of our stakeholders. I am proud to take on this new role at our combined company and lead Anheuser-Busch in the United States going forward.”
InBev and Anheuser-Busch announced a definitive merger agreement on July 13, 2008, which is subject to Anheuser-Busch Companies and InBev shareholder approvals and review by competition authorities in a number of jurisdictions. InBev shareholders approved the transaction on September 29.
The appointments are effective upon closure of the transaction, which is expected by year end 2008.