InBev, whose flagship beer brands include Stella Artois of Belgium and Brahma of Brazil, was formed in March 2004 when Belgium's former Interbrew SA bought Brazil's Companhia de Bebidas das Americas, or AmBev, for 9.2 billion euros ($10.9 billion). Since then, AmBev has exported more than 30 executives to senior positions at InBev's Belgium headquarters and to its North American operations in Canada.
Analysts and investment bankers said the appointment of Mr. [Carlos Brito], 45 years old, was further evidence of a "reverse takeover" engineered by AmBev as the combined company has relied more heavily on Brazil for profits. "The Brazilians are taking over," said Marc Leemans of Bank Degroof. "They're known for being more focused, more bottom-line- driven than the Belgian leadership."
"Brito directed a team of 6,000 salespeople going around Brazil on motorbikes, and he manages to motivate them," InBev Chairman Pierre Jean Everaert said yesterday. "He is a super salesman." As of November, AmBev had a market share of 68% in Brazil, according to AC Nielsen.
My Research
