FDBusiness.com

AB InBev has announced that Felipe Dutra, Chief Financial and Technology Officer, will step down after a long and distinguished career with the company. Fernando Tennenbaum has been appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO). David Almeida will become Chief Strategy and Technology Officer and Nelson Jamel has been appointed Chief People Officer. They will be part of the company’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and report to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Carlos Brito. Fernando Tennenbaum will also join the Executive Committee.

The changes above are part of a well-established succession plan and will be effective after AB InBev’s annual shareholders’ meeting, to be held on 29 April 2020. Felipe Dutra will remain with the company during a transition period of several months after the succession is effective.

Carlos Brito comments: “Felipe’s departure is bittersweet. For nearly 30 years, he has been a champion of our company and a fantastic partner to me and the members of our Senior Leadership Team as we grew the company. Felipe feels that now is the right time to embark on new projects, and we are respectful of his decision.

Felipe Dutra.

“Felipe’s contributions to AB InBev are hard to overstate. Since becoming CFO in 1999 of what was then Brahma, he has embodied the spirit of true ownership and has been the architect of our company’s financial strategy, our risk management policy and our drive to deliver best-in-class cash flow and shareholder value. Felipe’s contributions to our value creation are significant and wide-ranging. He has been the steward of our financial discipline, which has freed up resources to invest behind the organic growth of our business. He has played a key role in the creations of Ambev and InBev, as well as in our landmark combinations with Anheuser-Busch, Grupo Modelo and SAB. In the last few years, he has also driven the creation of our leading Technology function. Perhaps most importantly, he developed a strong bench of internal talent for both Finance and Technology as part of his legacy. We are very grateful to Felipe and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

Felipe Dutra says: “It has been an honor to be part of this company for nearly 30 years. I was fortunate enough to participate in our transformation from being a Brazilian local champion into one of the world’s most successful consumer goods companies. I am very thankful to the Board, to our shareholders and to Brito for his leadership and partnership and, most especially, to the amazing teams and colleagues that have supported me over the years. It has been a tremendous privilege to have been part of this journey. Today, AB InBev is in a strong position, both financially and operationally. We have a superb team, a solid strategy, an outstanding geographic footprint and an unparalleled portfolio of brands, giving me the confidence that AB InBev will continue to create enduring value for its consumers, customers and shareholders. I have great respect for and confidence in Fernando, who will build on our company’s legacy of financial discipline and operational excellence.”