Heineken appointed Rafael Oliveira as its new CEO on Tuesday, ending a months-long search for a successor to Dolf van den Brink, who led the world's No.2 brewer for six years since 2020 before he resigned in January.Oliveira joins from JDE Peet's, one of the world's largest coffee companies, where he has been CEO since 2024. He is the first executive to be appointed from outside Heineken's ranks.He began his career in Brazil in the equity research divisions at Banco Icatu and Banco BBA-Creditanstalt. From 2004 to 2014, he worked at Goldman Sachs in senior leadership positions.Also Read: Coke, Pepsi, Red Bull to add QR codes linking to ingredient information in USBefore JDE Peet's, Oliveira spent a decade at The Kraft Heinz Company, rising to President of International Markets, having started as CEO for Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea in 2004.In November 2024, he was appointed CEO of JDE Peet's. Following Keurig Dr Pepper's acquisition of JDE Peet's, in April 2026 he was appointed to lead KDP's planned new global coffee business.A Brazilian national, Oliveira studied economics at Pontificia Universidade Catolica in Sao Paulo and earned an international MBA at the University of Chicago.Also Read: Nestle, Uber among global business leaders to back faster electrification shiftOliveira will have a lot to prove as a beer industry and company outsider, ING analysts said in a note to investors.
From coffee to booze: Rafael Oliveira, the new boss of Heineken
Heineken has appointed Rafael Oliveira as its new CEO, marking the first external hire for the top role. Oliveira, previously CEO of JDE Peet's, brings extensive international leadership experience from companies like Goldman Sachs and Kraft Heinz. His appointment follows a lengthy search and comes as he faces the challenge of navigating the beer industry as an outsider, according to analysts.
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