Interview: Rene Kruijt, CEO at Heineken Slovensko

By the editor

We talked with Heineken CEO, Rene Kruijt, and asked him about the differences between doing business in Slovakia compared to other countries. We met with Rene at Ventúrska Klubovňa, while enjoying a cold glass of Zlatý bažant ‘73.

During his career, Rene has managed businesses in Rwanda, DRC Congo, and Suriname and has returned to Slovakia for a second time. When first given the choice to go to Slovakia in 2001 for Heineken, he was also offered a position in the Bahamas. Growth via acquisitions and the challenges of an emerging market made him decide for Central Europe over the tropics.

What differences did you encounter when you started managing a Slovak organisation?

During my first tenure as a Sales & Distribution Director from 2001 – 2004, I found the team had a low sales drive. The Dutch are commercially driven, always looking for trade. When a Heineken representative in the Netherlands visits a customer he will make sure they know he was there. He will buy around and look for opportunities to positively drive consumption. Our Slovak sales team (back in the days) lacked such spirit, and I found them to be more introverted. Obviously, this relates to the cultural background where commerce never played a significant role.

Unlike in many countries where I worked before, especially in Africa and South America, in Slovakia, success is not really celebrated that much. People in general work very hard and consider it to be normal as it’s their job. As such I still find it challenging to teach my team a positive approach, instead of them being demotivated by finding reasons why things don’t work.

So how do you deal with such cultural differences?

First of all, don’t underestimate it! Assumptions are the mother of all problems. You have to be patient and absorb a lot of information. Build a strong personal relationship with your management, both internally and externally. Give them clear guidance and clearly defined goals and responsibilities. The Dutch “poldermodel” where you always try to find a compromise or consensus doesn’t work here.

Do you use a different business model here in Slovakia?

We entered the market via acquisition, and although historically beer consumption was high, once the Slovak Republic entered the European Union, excise duties raised the prices considerably, as a result of which consumption dropped. There is also a change in the pattern where today consumers drink more craft beers, and home consumption is growing to the detriment of pubs. This requires a constant shift in our marketing and sales strategy.

We have either ownership or partnerships with our main distributor centres in Slovakia, which allowed us to enter a broader segment. This gives us a strong competitive advantage. We also manage one of the largest malthouses in Europe here. These activities, in addition to traditional brewing, strengthened our leading position.

CV summary Rene Kruijt

Education:

Middelbare Hotelschool Wageningen (1976 - 1980)

Career:

Sales & Distribution Director Heineken Slovensko 2001 - 2004

Commercial Director Bralirwa Rwanda 2004 - 2007

General Manager Surinaamse Brouwerij 2011 - 2015

Managing Director Bralima DRC Congo 2015 - 2019

Managing Director Heineken Slovakia 2019 - present.