Contradictory statements issued on 2 February have plunged Castel Group into renewed governance turmoil, with uncertainty over whether CEO Grégory Clerc remains in office. Heirs Romy Castel and Alain Castel announced that shareholders of the Singapore-based holding Investment Beverage Business Management had voted to remove Clerc and chairman Pierre Baer. The IBBM board immediately rejected this, stating the resolutions were not validly passed and that Clerc continues as CEO.
The dispute affects one of the beverage industry’s most significant privately owned groups. Castel is the world’s third-largest wine producer, controlling the Nicolas retail network and extensive vineyards in France, while also ranking as Africa’s second-largest brewer with leading positions in Angola, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and other markets. Its African activities are structured through regional subsidiaries, including Société des Boissons du Maroc in Morocco.
Tensions escalated in December 2025 when Clerc removed Alain Castel from the boards of Cassiopée and D.F. Holding, effectively limiting direct family oversight of key operating entities. An initial attempt by the family to dismiss Clerc on 8 January 2026 failed on procedural grounds (inside.beer, 8.1.2026). The heirs claim they control around 97% of the voting rights represented at the meetings and accuse Clerc and Baer of using delaying tactics to block shareholder decisions.
The current conflict follows a broader governance reset after founder Pierre Castel was fined EUR 350m by Swiss authorities in 2023 for long-running tax offences. Clerc, formerly the family’s tax adviser, was appointed to professionalise management and introduced a strict separation between ownership and executive control via a Singapore trust. While Clerc argues this shields the business from inheritance disputes, parts of the family see it as an attempt to sideline them.
Since taking office, Clerc has reshaped management, replacing long-serving insiders with external executives. A notable example was the November 2024 appointment of Diogo Victoria, previously at Lactalis, to head Brasserie BB Lomé, replacing Thierry Feraud after eight years.
Both sides now expect another general meeting to be convened within weeks, with the formal removal of Clerc and Baer on the agenda. While legal manoeuvres may delay outcomes, the Castel family ultimately appears to hold sufficient voting power to force a leadership change, keeping uncertainty high across the group’s wine and beer businesses.
