Vietnam: Heineken Vietnam appoints new managing director

Heineken Vietnam, one of the largest players in the country's beer market, on August 5 announced the appointment of Wietse Mutters as managing director, succeeding Alexander Koch, who will take a similar position in Italy, effective August 1, The Investor reported.

Wietse Mutters started his career with Heineken in 2008 and was managing director of Heineken Italy from May 2020, where he managed to increase market share, revenue, and operating profit for the company.

Mutters developed Heineken Italy's product portfolio and introduced multiple innovations to the local market.

Prior to leading Heineken Italy, Mutters was managing director of BRANA S.A. in Haiti. Before that, he had held several senior commercial roles, both in country and at the regional level in the Netherlands, Macedonia, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Meanwhile, Mutters’ predecessor Alexander Koch has ended his six-year tenure in Vietnam, first as commercial director in 2018 and then as managing director in 2020.

Under Koch’s leadership, Heineken Vietnam further strengthened its position in the market with a larger product portfolio that included Heineken Silver, Bia Viet, and Larue Smooth.

“I am honored and humbled at the exciting assignment ahead – leading the winning Heineken Vietnam team through the next chapter of growth. Despite the challenges that remain, Vietnam will continue to be a potential and growth market for Heineken,” said Mutters.

Heineken Vietnam Brewery Limited Company, or Heineken Vietnam, in mid-June suspended operations at its factory in the central province of Quang Nam, citing declining consumer confidence and demand post-Covid, and the enforcement of Decree 100 since 2019, which stipulates zero-alcohol tolerance while driving.

The brewer also plans to start construction of a $540-million factory expansion project in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau later this year to increase annual output by 500 million liters, more than twice the annual output of the Heineken factory in Quang Nam.

Heineken Vietnam is a joint venture between Heineken and Saigon Trading Group (Satra). Starting with its first brewery in Ho Chi Minh City in 1991, the company now has six nationwide with over 3,000 employees.

The firm claims it is currently creating 152,000 jobs across the value chain, contributing to 0.7% of Vietnam’s GDP.

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