New Belgium Brewing‘s CEO hunt has ended with the appointment of Steve Fechheimer, most recently the chief strategy officer of Beam Suntory, the world’s third-largest premium spirits company. Fechheimer will now oversee New Belgium’s executive team, short-term strategy, industry leadership and day-to-day operations.
For those scoring at home, Fechheimer replaces Kim Jordan, New Belgium’s co-founder and former CEO, who has been serving as interim CEO after Christine Perich stepped down, after she originally replaced Kim in 2015. Jordan will continue to serve as the executive chair of the brewery’s board of directors and will work with the board to oversee long-term strategy and vision for New Belgium.
“We are so excited to welcome Steve to New Belgium,” said Jordan. “His expertise at strategy development and execution in the high-end world of spirits, coupled with our 26 years of solid brewing and branding, is a perfect setup for the kind of dynamic future New Belgium is planning. Steve is smart and driven while also being approachable, and we’re all excited about the perfect cultural and business fit. We took our time to find a terrific candidate and feel very lucky that we’ve done just that.”
More about Fechheimer
At Beam Suntory, Fechheimer led organic growth initiatives such as route-to-market design and distributor negotiations. He also led acquisitions, divestitures, the creation of global partnerships and the overall strategic planning process. In his nearly eight-year tenure at Beam Suntory, Fechheimer has had wide ranging experiences including senior roles in marketing, sales, finance and IT.
“I’m excited and humbled by the opportunity to lead such a wonderful company,” said Fechheimer. “New Belgium, with its incredible history and heritage, has an amazingly bright future, and I look forward to working with Kim, the leadership team and all of the nearly 800 coworkers to build upon our great foundation.”
Prior to Beam Suntory, Fechheimer served as chief operating officer of Sierra Club Green Home and also as a consultant at The Boston Consulting Group and Marakon Associates. Fechheimer holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and earned his undergraduate degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
But wait, there is more
New Belgium also announced the appointment of Joe Davis as chief operating officer and Jenn Vervier as interim vice president of marketing. Davis has been a member of New Belgium’s leadership team since 2013 and, in addition to being promoted to this new position, will continue to serve as the company’s general counsel. Vervier assumes oversight of marketing responsibilities at New Belgium after the recent departure of Ruairi Twomey.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.