By Andy Young
Ari Mervis, the CEO of Carlton and United Breweries will leave the business when AB InBev takes over SABMiller in October.
This week AB InBev announced the details of its 17-person executive team who will run the newly formed brewing giant, Newbelco. The new team is dominated by AB InBev executives and Jan Craps, who is currently the Business Unit President of Labatt in Canada, has been appointed as the Zone President for Asia Pacific South, which includes Australia, New Zealand, India, Vietnam and other South and Southeast Asian countries.
In a letter to customers about his departure, Mervis said: "As a consequence of the acquisition I will relinquish my position and will be leaving the company at change of control.
“I have been most fortunate to have spent the last 27 years with SABMiller, and have enjoyed a career which has been incredibly enjoyable and rewarding, and has given me and my family the opportunity to live and work in a number of locations across four different continents.
"Without doubt, the greatest reward has been the opportunity to meet so many terrific people – colleagues, customers, business partners and peers that I will be privileged to have as friends in the future."
There is only one SABMiller executive on AB InBev's new top-17 team in Mauricio Leyva who is currently the MD of SABMiller South America.
So far no announcement has been made regarding the future of SABMiller CEO Alan Clark, but he along with several other key SABMiller executives are also expected to leave when the merger is completed in October.