Following an extremely successful two decades under Gary Lubner, Belron announces the appointment of Carlos Brito as its new Chief Executive Officer
The Board of Belron Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Carlos Brito as our new CEO. Brito will join the company in January and take over as CEO in March 2023, following a handover period.
Brito is one of the world’s top business leaders. He has vast experience, including running AB InBev, a global business of over 164,000 people and an outstanding track record of creating value for shareholders and developing leaders. He built AB InBev from a Latin American regional player into by far the world’s largest brewing company, with brands including Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois, making it one of the top consumer packaged goods companies in the world and one of the highest by profitability.
Current CEO Gary Lubner said: “I’m delighted to hand over the stewardship of this exceptional company to Brito. He is the right CEO to take Belron forward, bringing with him an unrivalled track record of growing businesses and operating at the highest level. It is testament to our business, brands, people and investors that we have attracted one of the world’s most successful chief executives to lead Belron into the next phase of its development.
“His deep interest in every aspect of our business is striking, and I know that our values-led culture is a priority for him as he seeks to grow the business. On behalf of my 30,000 colleagues around the world, I would like to offer him a warm welcome to the company.”
Gary will remain on the Board of Belron following the hand over.
Brito said: “Belron is a unique business with a clear pathway to sustainable and responsible growth at an important stage in its development. This is exactly the opportunity I have been looking for and I very much look forward to getting to know the business better and to meeting my new colleagues.”
Nicolas D’Ieteren, Chairman of Belron’s majority shareholder the D’Ieteren Group and Chairman of the Belron Group Board, said: “I am very happy to welcome Carlos Brito to Belron. He is one of the foremost business leaders of his generation and his appointment reflects the amazing job Gary Lubner and his team have done to develop Belron over the past 22 years. His arrival demonstrates the energy and the excitement we all feel about the opportunities that lie ahead for the Group’s future. We are confident that Carlos Brito is the right leader at the right time to continue building on our tremendous success and write the next Belron chapter.
“I would like to thank Gary personally and on behalf of the Board of Directors for his huge contribution to the successful development of the company as its CEO for more than 22 years. We are also delighted to keep Gary as a Belron Board member and we are looking forward to benefit from his enormous experience about the business. Dear Gary, as we say in French – Bravo et Merci .”
During Gary’s 22 years as CEO, Belron sales have grown consistently from €822m in 2000 to more than €4.6bn in 2021, through geographic expansion into new territories, growing market share and value accretive acquisitions. The business was most recently valued at €21bn in a transaction in 2021. Gary has also overseen investment in new technology and innovation leveraging the increasing complexity of vehicles and driver assistance systems, positioning the Group for further growth.
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Notes to editors
Carlos Brito career history
Carlos Brito, 62, spent 32 years at AB InBev and was CEO from 2005 until 2021. During his 15 years as CEO, he transformed AB InBev into the world’s largest brewer, with a portfolio of brands including Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois. During his tenure, Brito grew the market capitalisation of AB InBev from $26bn in 2005 to $141bn in 2020. He has a strong commitment to investing in people, environmental stewardship and doing business responsibly. Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brito has lived in Brazil, Germany, Canada, Belgium and the US and will now be based in the UK. Brito earned his degree in mechanical engineering from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro and obtained an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He is a member of the Stanford GSB Advisory Council and a member of the Reditus Board of Directors, a private endowment that supports students and alumnae from the Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Brito worked for Shell Oil and Daimler-Benz, prior to joining Ambev in 1989.
About Belron®
Belron is the world’s leading vehicle glass repair, replacement and recalibration group. Our key brands include Carglass®, Safelite AutoGlass® and Autoglass®. We operate in 38 countries across 6 continents through wholly owned and franchise operations and also manage vehicle glass and other insurance claims on behalf of insurance customers. Belron is home to around 30,000 employees who served over 16 million customers in 2021 with a focus on service quality generating a very high level of customer satisfaction. More details are at https://www.belron.com/
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