The Supervisory Board of Heineken N.V. has announced the nomination of Rafael (Rafa) Oliveira as the company’s new Chair of the Executive Board and Chief Executive Officer. The Supervisory Board will nominate Rafa to be appointed for a period of four years, effective 1 October 2026, at an Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders to be held on 5 August 2026.
Rafa, it said in a statement, will join HEINEKEN from JDE Peet’s N.V., where he has served as CEO since 2024. Following Keurig Dr Pepper’s acquisition of JDE Peet’s, he has been appointed to lead Keurig Dr Pepper’s planned Global Coffee Co. (annual revenue $16 billion), a new publicly traded business combining its coffee operations with JDE Peet’s, underscoring his proven ability to lead complex global enterprises.
“We are delighted to welcome Rafa to HEINEKEN. He is a dynamic, visionary leader with an exceptional track record of leading global consumer businesses and delivering transformational growth. Throughout his career, Rafa has consistently transformed complex challenges into clear organisational priorities, aligning teams around what matters most, and driving disciplined execution of strategy. He combines strategic clarity with operational rigour and strong people leadership to deliver superior results. The Supervisory Board is confident that his energy and strategic acumen will accelerate the execution of the company’s EverGreen 2030 strategic agenda and create sustainable value for all our stakeholders. With Rafa at the helm, we look forward to building on HEINEKEN’s strong foundations and continuing our journey of long-term, balanced growth,” the statement added.
