Carlsberg A/S 100 Ny Carlsberg Vej Tel +45 33 27 33 00
DK-1760 Copenhagen V CVR no 61056416
COMPANYANNOUNCEMENT 1/2009
15 JANUARY 2009
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Carlsberg strengthens its Executive Committee and
accelerates restructuring
Carlsberg today announces new appointments to its Executive Committee and a
number of restructuring initiatives in Denmark, Norway and the Baltic States.
Carlsberg strengthens its Executive Committee
Khalil Younes has been appointed Senior Vice President, Group Innovation, Sales
& Marketing and Nils Østbirk has been appointed Senior Vice President, Western
Europe.
They replace Vice President Jan Hillesland and Senior Vice President Alex Myers
respectively. Consequently both will be leaving the Carlsberg Group.
Jørgen Buhl Rasmussen, President & CEO of the Carlsberg Group, said:
“Following the Scottish & Newcastle-acquisition Carlsberg has been transformed
into a much larger and more global FMCG company. This requires strong and
internationally experienced leadership throughout the organisation. We have an
ambitious strategy in place which has driven changes in our processes,
organisation and culture. Going forward international experience and strong
execution power will be key competencies. Khalil Younes' and Nils Østbirk's
leadership skills and experience in international branding and fast-moving
consumer goods will significantly strengthen our executive team. Khalil Younes
will also head up a new and fully integrated innovation function as well as
Group Sales & Marketing reflecting the importance the Group places on innovation
across all aspects of its operations."
Khalil Younes, 45, has for the last 15 years worked for The Coca-Cola Company
where he has been responsible for a number of successful brand developments and
change processes. He is currently Vice President of their Global Juice
Marketing, where he is responsible for 140 brands and a business with a turnover
in excess of USD 4bn. Prior to this, he had a series of marketing roles at
Coca-Cola in Corporate Marketing, Central Europe, Eurasia and the Middle East
and was President of a business unit in Hungary. Khalil Younes previously worked
at Procter & Gamble. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Nils Østbirk, 44, is currently Zone Director, Northern Europe at L'Oreal, where
he is based in Paris and responsible for operations with a turnover of
approximately USD 1bn in 12 countries across Europe. He was previously Managing
Director for L'Oreal in Poland and the Netherlands, and prior to that he worked
for Philip Morris as head of Indochina. He holds a M.Sc. in Economics & Business
Administration from the Copenhagen Business School.
Senior Vice President Jesper Bjørn Madsen who is responsible for the Asia Region
has during a number of years been key in building and developing Carlsberg's
presence in the region through partnerships and acquisitions, but with the
current scale in Asia the future focus will also be on strong operational
execution and to further increase brand development. As a consequence of this
step change in the region, Jesper Bjørn Madsen will step down and leave the
Carlsberg Group. A search for his successor is under way.
www.carlsberggroup.com
Carlsberg Group
Jørgen Buhl Rasmussen said:
“I would like to thank Alex Myers, Jan Hillesland and Jesper Bjørn Madsen for
their significant contribution to Carlsberg where they all have had key roles in
the development of the Group. We wish them all the best for the future."
Khalil Younes will start at Carlsberg 1 February and Nils Østbirk will start 1
March.
Further restructuring of operations in Denmark, Norway and the Baltic States
In line with the strategic objective to continuously improve efficiency in all
our operations, as well as preparing for future challenges, Carlsberg has today
announced a number of change initiatives in Denmark, Norway and the Baltic
States.
Jørgen Buhl Rasmussen said, "With these initiatives we continue what we are
already doing in a number of our operations such as France, UK and Italy. The
changes are driven by market specific developments which vary a great deal from
country to country, but overall we are striving to proactively accelerate our
efficiency efforts both in terms of timing and scale as we foresee a future
market development where we face more uncertainties and risks.
In Denmark, Carlsberg announces plans to simplify and slim its organisation as
well as change its terms of distribution. Negotiations with the unions to reduce
staffing levels with approximately 150 people have started today.
In Norway, Ringnes has decided on a number of initiatives involving significant
cost and manning reductions and new and more efficient ways of working. The
changes will be implemented as a response to expected reduced volume impact in
2009 due to higher tax on non-alcoholic beverages as well as a general
preparedness to counteract uncertainties in the market place.
Carlsberg Baltic began to restructure its operations already in the last quarter
of 2008 following a strong decline in the state economies and increases in
excise taxes. The company responds to these changes which are expected to impact
the beer market negatively by accelerating its restructuring program, including
reducing staff with 124 people in addition to the 80 people announced in
November 2008. The changes focusing on commercial efficiencies and value
management are made across all countries and at all levels resulting in a very
streamlined organisation with a significant reduction of the Baltic HQ.
The changes will be initiated during the first quarter of 2009.
Contacts:
Investor Relations: Mikael Bo Larsen +45 3327 1223
Media Relations: Jens Peter Skaarup +45 3327 1417
Carlsberg Group is one of the leading brewery groups in the world, with a large
portfolio of beer and soft drinks brands. Its flagship brand - Carlsberg - is
one of the fastest-growing and best-known beer brands in the world. More than
40,000 people work for Carlsberg Group, and its products are sold in more than
150 markets. In 2007 Carlsberg Group sold more than 115 million hectolitres of
beer, which is about 95 million bottles of beer a day. Find out more at
www.carlsberggroup.com.
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