• by Danielle Oster , November 16, 2023

AB InBev U.S. marketing lead Benoit Garbe is leaving the company at the end of the year, and the company appears to be eliminating the role entirely.

An Anheuser-Busch spokesperson confirmed the upcoming departure in a statement positioning the move as part of a strategic restructuring, saying, “Benoit Garbe, U.S. chief marketing officer, will be resigning at the end of the year in order to embark on a new chapter in his career. Moving forward, U.S. Chief Commercial Officer Kyle Norrington will now oversee and be fully dedicated to all aspects of its marketing activities, including brand plans and portfolio strategy, insights, analytics, and investments.”

According to the spokesperson, the shift will also result in U.S. Chief Sales Officer Simon Wuestenberg and High End Business Unit President Andy Thomas now reporting directly to the Anheuser-Busch CEO, Brendan Whitworth.

“This week we announced key changes to our U.S. leadership team that reduce layers within our organization and better enable our top commercial leaders to drive our business and legacy forward,” Whitworth said in a statement.

AB InBev has invested significantly in marketing efforts supporting its flagging Bud Light brand in the U.S. recently, with increased investments in marketing  focused on fans of the NFL and college football. The company also recently entered into a multiyear agreement to become “The Official Beer Partner of the UFC.”

Garbe’s departure follows the company placing Bud Light Vice President, Marketing Alissa Heinerscheid and Anheuser-Busch Group Vice President, Marketing Daniel Blake on leave earlier this year. It appears that Heinerscheid may also have permanently parted ways with the company. Her LinkedIn page currently lists her Bud Light role as July 2022 - Oct 2023. Marketing Daily reached out to AB InBev for clarification as to whether Heinerscheid and Blake are still with the company, but had not received an answer at press time.