ST. LOUIS -- Anheuser-Busch president Dave Peacock is resigning and will be replaced by Luiz Edmond, the brewer's North America zone president, according to a memo sent to distributors obtained by Advertising Age.
Edmond will keep his position as zone president while taking on oversight of the U.S. operation.
Peacock will continue to serve in an advisory role, according to the memo, which was sent by Edmond, a Brazilian citizen who rose up the ranks in the Anheuser-Busch InBev organization.
Peacock was one of the few remaining holdovers who had stayed with the company after it was acquired in 2008 by Belgium-based InBev, creating global parent Anheuser-Busch InBev.
His departure, said the report, comes in the wake of other big changes at the brewer's U.S. division, which continues to lose market share in a tough economic environment and new competition from spirits that has hurt most big beer brands.
"Dave's experience and knowledge will continue to be valued in his new advisory role, helping with strategic decisions," the memo said. "Dave has built a strong, talented team of people who are well-equipped to carry the business forward, poised for great things."
Peacock, who began working at A-B in 1992, was promoted to president in 2008 in the wake of the acquisition after serving as vice president of marketing since late 2007. While many U.S. executives departed after the InBev takeover, Peacock was handpicked by the new owners to lead U.S. operation, the report said.
His departure more than three years later means "the takeover is complete," former A-B chief creative officer Bob Lachky, who left in 2009, told Ad Age. "The old A-B culture has been expunged. The management team has been totally transitioned, and that was to be expected."
It seems unlikely that Peacock's exit will lead to changes in marketing, added the report; Paul Chibe, the vice president of U.S. marketing who came aboard last May (see Related Content below for previousCSP Daily News coverage), recently hired two new agencies to oversee Bud Light--McGarryBowen and Translation. A-B has also brought on Publicis Groupe's Starcom USA to handle U.S. media planning and research duties. The agency will report to Blaise D'Sylva, who was hired this month as U.S. vice president of media and sports and entertainment marketing.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.