Carlsberg beer taps Dutch CEO

Danish brewer Carlsberg has appointed Dutchman Cees 't Hart as their new CEO, who will start on June 15th when current CEO Jørgen Buhl Rasmussen leaves the company. The new CEO is leaving behind his role as the CEO of Dutch dairy company FrieslandCampina, a position he has held since 2008. While at the Dutch firm, he led the merger of Friesland Foods and Campina in 2008. He also led an expansion into Asian markets, something Carlsberg would like to replicate, and helped the firm weather difficulties with exports to Russia. Even though the economic turmoil in Russia affected Carlsberg's turnover, the favourable developments in Western Europe and Asia helped the company to "limit its consequences," Carlsberg states. "I am very pleased to be taking on the leadership of the Carlsberg Group. It is a company with a distinguished heritage, a strong portfolio of local and international brands and is the leading brewer in the majority of its markets," 't Hart said of his new firm. "Seven years ago, I began an exceptionally fulfilling period in my working life.I have derived great enjoyment from contributing to the development of FrieslandCampina," he said separately in a statement announcing his departure. "FrieslandCampina is a company of which the Netherlands can be proud."

Roelof Joosten will be 't Hart's successor after June 1st, the company stated on Wednesday. Joosten has been a Member of the Executive Board of FrieslandCampina since 2012. "FrieslandCampina has undergone a remarkable development with Cees ’t Hart at the helm," Joosten said in a statement. "I look forward to continuing to build a strong FrieslandCampina, together with my colleagues." Carlsberg is the fourth largest brewer in the world and saw its sales stabilize at 8.7 billion euros last year. The company sold, primarily due to acquisitions, 3 percent more beer than in 2013.