New Belgium Brewery recently announced several management changes. Most notably, Steve Fechheimer will be taking over as chief executive officer in mid-August. He will replace New Belgium co-founder and former CEO Kim Jordan. Jordan will continue her work with the brewery as executive chair of the board of directors.
“Steve is smart and driven while also being approachable, and we’re all excited about the perfect cultural and business fit,” said Jordan. “We took our time to find a terrific candidate and feel very lucky that we’ve done just that.”
As CEO, Fechteimer will lead New Belgium’s executive team, manage its everyday operations and implement short-term goals.
“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.”
Fechteirmer comes to New Belgium from the premium alcohol manufacturer, Beam Suntory where he worked as chief strategy officer. In this position, he focused on building the company through acquisitions and the development of global partnerships. During his nearly eight years at Beam Suntory, he also held management positions in marketing, sales, finance and IT.
This change in head leadership will follow several other internal shifts in lower management positions. Joe Davis — who has served as New Belgium’s General Counsel since 2013 — will now also act as chief operating officer. After 20 years at the company, director of strategy and sustainability, Jenn Vervier will take over as interim vice president of marketing.
With 26 years in the industry, New Belgium has an established reputation. While you might not be considering who’s acting as CEO while you sip on your Fat Tire, these management changes may affect the culture of the company. It will be interesting to see how New Belgium develops over the next few years under new leadership and whether or not they can continue to keep up in Colorado’s growing craft beer scene.