Jean-François van Boxmeer has held the position of CEO at Heineken for the past 12 years, though he has worked at the company in a variety of roles for more than 33 years. He took his first steps at Heineken in the Netherlands, where he worked as a trainee until 1987, before holding multiple positions across Africa. He then became the Dutch brewery’s managing director in Poland and Italy, in addition to taking on several other directive titles.

In 2001, van Boxmeer was appointed as a member of the brewery’s executive board, and four years later he was named CEO and chairman of the board. His long career within the firm gave the Belgian executive a broad knowledge of the business, which in turn allowed him to become a longstanding CEO. This year, van Boxmeer’s administration passed a test of success when it was confirmed he will hold his position for another term.

Heineken is the world’s second-largest brewery, boasting operations in more than 70 countries. In the last decade, the company’s expansion in emerging markets has been a catalyst for impressive growth. For example, in June 2017, Heineken acquired Brasil Kirin, one of the largest beer and soft drinks producers in Brazil, for $1bn (€847m). As a result of this strategic move, the brewer’s presence in the world’s third-largest beer market drastically increased.

Van Boxmeer has also spearheaded sustainable policies at the Dutch brewery, focusing on different areas including protecting water resources, reducing CO2 emissions and tackling alcohol abuse. With its Brewing a Better World campaign, the company is on its way to achieving its sustainability goals for 2020. In recent years, Heineken’s CEO has also taken the company down the road of innovation – not only through the launch of products like Heineken 0.0, a non-alcoholic beer with just 69 calories per bottle, but also by diversifying the business.