Germany: Holsten-Brauerei AG appointed a new Executive Director

The Holsten Group, one of the leading brewery groups in northern and eastern Germany, announced on May 4 it has appointed Dipl.-Ing. Dipl.-Kfm. Ernst Faltermeier, 46, as a member of the Holsten-Brauerei AG Executive Board on 4 May. As the company�s Chief Financial Officer he takes over responsibility for financial services, IT, controlling and legal matters.

Ernst Faltermeier was previously Head of Financial and Accounting Services and is now taking over the position previously occupied by Executive Director Horst B�lck, 52, who is leaving the company by mutual consent. Horst B�lck has been a member of the Executive Board since 2001 and has now decided to seek professional challenges elsewhere.

The Holsten Group is one of the leading brewery groups in northern and eastern Germany with a production volume of 7.15 million hectolitres (hl) of beer in 2004. In April 2004 it became part of Carlsberg, the world�s fifth largest, internationally active brewery group.

The group's beer business was started by the Holsten-Brauerei AG, a brewery founded in 1879 in what is now the Altona district of Hamburg. Over the next 125 years, this company grew into one of Germany�s largest brewery groups pursuing a broad, multi-brand strategy in its domestic market and doing a flourishing business elsewhere through exports and licensees. In addition to the Holsten brewery in Hamburg, the group also includes the Mecklenburg brewery in L�bz, the Feldschl�sschen breweries in Dresden and Brunswick, the Landskron brewery in G�rlitz and the Hannen brewery in M�nchengladbach. Its 2004 volume sales of beer totalled just under 7.15 million hl, of which 5.39 million hl went to the domestic market and 1.75 million hl were either exported or brewed and sold through licensees in Russia, England and the Dominican Republic.