• by Teresa Buyikian , November 11, 2024

Heineken USA is promoting Alison Payne to the position of chief marketing officer, beginning in January 2025. She will report to Chief Executive Officer Maggie Timoney.

Payne succeeds previous CMO Jonnie Cahil, who after 10 years with Heineken will “pursue external opportunities in the United States,” per the brand in the announcement.

Payne is actually returning to Heineken USA from Heineken’s Global Commerce leadership team in Amsterdam, where she led global international brands such as Birra Moretti, Edelweiss, Strongbow and Sol, in addition to the Transforming Brand Building team, which included global media and commercial effectiveness.

Before her global position, Payne worked at Heineken USA from 2018 to 2021 heading the company’s Mexican portfolio in the U.S. As part of the position, she led the overhaul of the Dos Equis brand and “developed a pipeline of innovations extending into flavored beers,” per the release.

"Alison is a strong people leader who brings strategic vision, a passion for the beer category and a proven track record of building brands and delivering results," said Maggie Timoney, CMO, Heineken USA in the announcement. "Her broad experience across various parts of our business, together with her innovative mindset will be invaluable to our brands and company.”

Before Heineken, from 2013 to 2018 Payne served as vice president of global snacks innovation for PepsiCo. Earlier in her career she worked as vice president of global marketing and innovation at the Kellogg Company, as well as holding key marketing roles at Diageo in both Europe and the U.S. for the Guinness, Smirnoff and Captain Morgan brands.