Heineken UK and Beavertown Brewery reshuffle senior leadership

Heineken UK and Beavertown Brewery have announced a management reshuffle that aims to bolster growth and customer partnerships across both businesses, as senior executives transition into new roles effective from 1 June. 

Will Rice, who is currently on-trade sales director at Heineken UK, has been named managing director of Beavertown. He succeeds Jochen Van Esch, who will return to the Heineken Group after leading the craft brewery for almost four years. 

Meanwhile, operations director for Star Pubs Mick Howard will transition into the role of on-trade sales director for Heineken UK. 

Rice brings commercial experience from across the Heineken business, including roles in off-trade, Star Pubs and on-trade. Under his leadership, the on-trade team achieved record net promoter scores and secured top supplier ratings for two consecutive years.

Van Esch spent five years building the craft brewery business and shaping the partnership between the two companies. He oversaw the construction of the brewery in Enfield, London, and managed the scaling of the brand while maintaining its distinct culture and operating model.

In addition, Howard played a leading role in the Punch acquisition and helped develop the Star Pubs business model. He was also credited with the success of the managed arm of Star Pubs, Just Add Talent, which improved total and individual pub performance.

Boudewijn Haarsma, managing director of Heineken UK, said: “These moves reflect our focus on putting proven, high-impact leaders where they can make the biggest difference for customers and growth. Will has an outstanding track record in the on-trade, and he is the right leader to guide Beavertown through its next phase of growth, while it continues to operate as a separate company with its own distinctive identity.

“Mick has been instrumental in shaping Star Pubs and is a proven operator and people leader. I’m delighted to welcome him into the on-trade sales director role as we continue to execute our winning strategy. His deep understanding of running pubs will help him to lead our team in being a value adding business partner for our customers.”

He added: “I also want to thank Jochen for the legacy he leaves at Beavertown, from building brand leadership in UK craft to progressing the Enfield brewery. We wish him every success as he moves to Heineken Group.”