Vodafone names Heineken’s Van Boxmeer as new chairman

Vodafone, the world’s second-biggest mobile operator, has recruited Jean-Francois Van Boxmeer, the current CEO of brewer Heineken, to succeed Gerard Kleisterlee as chairman from November this year.

The British company said Van Boxmeer, a Belgian, will join as a non-executive director on July 28.

He has been Heineken’s CEO since 2005, presiding over a nearly threefold increase in its share price through a combination of strategic transactions and organic growth. He will hand over the role to Asia-Pacific chief, Dolf van den Brink, in June.

Van Boxmeer “is a very experienced businessman, with an in-depth knowledge of our geographic regions and he brings very strong sales and customer focus,” said Kleisterlee, who has been Vodafone’s chairman for nine years.