E-Malt.com News article: Denmark: Carlsberg announces new governance structure: Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Western Europe and Asia

After the announcement that the Scheme of Arrangement in relation to the Scottish & Newcastle transaction has become effective, the Carlsberg Group will be organised in four new regions: Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, Western Europe and Asia, according to company’s press release, April 29.

Anton Artemiev, 48 and President of Baltika since 2005, will head Eastern Europe. To emphasize the importance of the Russian and the other Eastern European markets in the Carlsberg Group, Anton Artemiev has been promoted to Senior Vice President and member of the Executive Committee.

The four regions are:

Eastern Europe includes the activities in Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Belarus, all of which are operating in growth markets. The region consists of companies from the BBH joint venture, except BBH Baltics which will become part of the region Northern Europe.

Northern Europe includes the activities in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland as well as the Baltics: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. This new region comprises countries with markets with many similarities. The region will be headed by Senior Vice President Mikael Aro.

Western Europe includes activities in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal as well as Poland, Turkey and SEE (Bulgaria, Croatia and Serbia). The Greek company Mythos will also be part of the region whereas the French company Brasseries Kronenbourg is to report directly to CEO Jørgen Buhl Rasmussen during the integration process and then later to be included in the region. Senior Vice President Alex Myers will head the region as well as the Export & License business.

Asia includes breweries in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India. The region is headed by Senior Vice President Jesper Bjørn Madsen who is also responsible for Malawi.

Following this, Carlsberg's Executive Committee consists of the Executive Board, i.e. Jørgen Buhl Rasmussen, CEO and Jørn P. Jensen, CFO and Deputy CEO, the four regional Senior Vice Presidents and four functional heads: Kasper Madsen, Senior Vice President, Group Supply Chain, Jan Hillesland, Vice President Group Sales and Marketing, Thomas Ekvall, Vice President Group Human Resources, and Anne-Marie Skov, Vice President Group Communications.

Furthermore, it has been decided to focus more on innovation. In that connection it is considered, subject to relevant consultation processes, as a first step to merge into one the Group's innovation activities, ie the Kronenbourg Innovation Center, the Carlsberg Research Center as well as the innovation team in Group Sales & Marketing at the same time ensuring that innovation becomes a clear cross-functional priority.

Jørgen Buhl Rasmussen says: "We now have a management structure that can focus on future value creation by ensuring transfer of skills, best practices and synergies within and across each of the four regions. Our objective is to ensure profitable growth in all the markets where we operate, making Carlsberg the world's fastest growing global brewer."

Carlsberg will update on external reporting format including segmentation in connection with announcement of interim results for first half of 2008, 5 August 2008.


30 April, 2008