AB InBev has confirmed the departure of Jannik Weitzl as head of its German operations, marking another senior leadership change within the group’s European business. Weitzl, who had taken over as Country Director in April 2024 after succeeding Michel Pepa, left the company in December 2025. The brewer has not disclosed official reasons, but industry sources point to sustained pressure linked to sales performance and execution in the German market.
From February 2026, Guilherme Machado De Lima will assume responsibility as Country Director Germany, reporting to Pieter Anciaux, President of the Business Unit Greater Europe. Machado De Lima is a long-standing AB InBev executive who joined the group in 2009 as a trainee and most recently served as Sales Director for Brazil. His appointment underlines the company’s strategy of relying on internally developed managers with strong commercial backgrounds. Germany is not unfamiliar territory for him, as he completed part of his academic education in Darmstadt before joining the brewer.
The leadership change in Germany comes amid a broader phase of instability at senior management level. After the departure of brewing director Michaela Miedl, the group also saw the exit of long-time commercial executive Tibor Raatz, followed by the departure of technology chief Fritz Geiger. Weitzl himself had previously held international roles within the group, including a posting in France and a senior position in the Netherlands, before being promoted to the German top job.
With Machado De Lima stepping in, AB InBev aims to restore continuity and sharpen its commercial focus in Germany, one of the group’s most competitive and strategically important European beer markets.
