North America CEO appointed to succeed Michel Doukeris ABI has announced that Brendan Whitworth, former US Chief Sales Officer, will succeed Michel Doukeris (the newly appointed CEO of ABI) as head of the North America zone, ABI’s largest division on 1st July. Whitworth has a strong track record in the US despite the sometimes challenging portfolio of brands there. Over 8 years in the role, he helped to drive strong market share gains at Michelob Ultra, a major success story for ABI in the US. Under Whitworth’s watch, US sales growth also improved 2.8% over 2017-2020. He also strengthened ABI’s relationships with wholesalers and retailers, and helped ABI expand into beverage adjacencies like canned wine and hard seltzers. Whitworth also presented during ABI’s deep dive investor day on the US in May 2019. This appointment removes uncertainty surrounding a key market for ABI, and one which often tends to drive sentiment on the shares. We believe Whitworth is capable of driving the North America business forward and are pleased with the appointment. Ezgi Barcenas appointed to Chief Sustainability Officer ABI has also announced the appointment of Ezgi Barcenas, Global Vice President of Sustainability, to the role of Chief Sustainability Officer. The current Chief Sustainability and Procurement Officer, Tony Milikin, will step down on 1st August. The new Chief Sustainability Officer will also join the Senior Leadership team, underscoring ABI’s commitment to sustainability. We note Barcenas has already interacted with the investor community in webinars and presentations. Plenty of fresh perspectives at the top In recent months ABI has announced changes to the CEO, Head of IR, Head of North America, and Chief Sustainability Officer roles. This follows the changes in CFO, Chief People Officer and Chief Strategy & Technology roles during 2020. While ABI has always embraced change and innovation in its category, we sense more of a focus on this now than in years past; given the competitive nature of Beer and the share price underperformance, we view this as a positive development.