Anheuser-Busch InBev has named Benoit Garbe as its new U.S. chief marketing officer as part of broader organizational changes at the world’s largest brewer that includes current CMO Marcel Marcondes moving to a new role.

The company said Marcondes’ new position will be announced at a later date. He began overseeing U.S. marketing in 2016. AB InBev also announced a new role of U.S. chief commercial officer that will oversee sales and marketing in the U.S., becoming the latest company to adopt such a title in search of better aligning sales and marketing. Taking the job at AB InBev is Kyle Norrington, currently president of the company’s Labatt division in Canada.

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Garbe currently holds the title of U.S. chief strategy officer, a title he assumed in late 2020 after joining the brewer from Prophet Consulting in China. Before that he logged 10 years at Kantar, according to his LinkedIn profile. In a statement, the brewer said Garbe “has been instrumental in fostering a higher degree of commercial alignment and integration to support the company’s strategy and accelerate growth,” while also touting his  “experience with data and insights, combined with his experience leveraging brand purpose.”

Garbe assumes the CMO title as the brewer attempts to stay on top of fast-moving beverage trends, including the rise of hard seltzers and other drinks that blur the beer-liquor lines. AB InBev must also continually adapt its marketing to the evolving COVID situation, which has hampered bar sales and made c-commerce more critical.

“Over the last four years, we have developed and implemented a clear and consistent consumer-first strategy that has resulted in strong momentum for our U.S. business,” Brendan Whitworth, U.S. CEO at AB InBev, said in a statement.  “The new commercial structure we are announcing today, along with key leadership changes, will make us better partners to our wholesalers and retailers, ultimately accelerating our momentum in the U.S.”

Under Marcondes, AB InBev put more emphasis on creative that won industry recognition, especially at Cannes Lions, where this year the brewer took home a Grand Prix in the PR category for its “Contract for Change” effort for Michelob Ultra, which aided organic farmers. 

Marcondes oversaw strong growth for Michelob Ultra. But Bud Light, the brewer’s largest brand, continued to experience a long-term decline: shipments fell 5.1% in 2020 and its market share dropped from 13.1% to 12.4%, according to Beer Marketer’s Insights.

Marcondes had been considered a candidate for the U.S. CEO role that went to Whitworth in June, Beer Marketer’s noted in a report today, while raising the question that “perhaps he’s moving up to broader role within ABI after already working closely with new global CEO Michel Doukeris in the U.S.”

Marcondes in a statement said: “Over the last four years, our marketing organization has transformed our approach, putting consumers at the center of everything we do, and it’s been an honor to lead this incredible team. Together we reconnected our brands with trends and culture, reinvented our innovation machine and built digital capabilities to match the new consumer behavior. Anheuser-Busch today is widely recognized as a leading marketing organization again and is ready for a new cycle. I know we will only continue to get better.”

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