Sebastian Holtz will leave Bitburger Braugruppe later this year, forcing the German brewing group to once again search for a key executive. The 47-year-old serves as managing director responsible for sales and marketing and has decided not to extend his contract, which runs until October 2026. According to the company, he will step down by 1 November 2026 at the latest.
Holtz will then return professionally to Hamburg, where he will take over as CEO of Block Gruppe, a family-owned hospitality and food company. The move marks a return to the city that has long been the center of his professional and personal life.
Holtz has maintained strong ties to the Hanseatic city for many years. Before joining Bitburger, he spent eight years as CEO of Carlsberg Deutschland, where he was based in Hamburg. Even after joining the Bitburger management board in January 2024, he continued to live in Hamburg and regularly commuted to the brewery group’s headquarters in the Eifel region.
Dieter Heuskel, chairman of the supervisory bodies of Bitburger Braugruppe, said the company regrets Holtz’s decision but understands the personal reasons behind it. He thanked Holtz for his commitment to the family-owned brewing group and his contribution to strengthening the company’s beer brands and commercial activities.
Holtz himself described Bitburger Braugruppe as a special company with strong beer brands and a dedicated team. He said he was proud of what had been achieved together and emphasized that he would continue working fully committed until his departure.
Holtz joined the Bitburger management board in January 2024 as successor to Axel Dahm, taking responsibility for the group’s central commercial functions, including sales and marketing for the brewery’s beer portfolio.
His exit comes during a broader period of leadership transition at the company. In September 2025, Jan Niewodniczanski, managing director responsible for technology and environment, stepped down after many years with the brewery group (inside.beer, 26.9.2025). Since then, his responsibilities have been temporarily shared among Stefan Schmitz, Markus Spanier, and Holtz. According to the company, the appointment of a new managing director for technology and environment is already in its final stage.
With Holtz now also preparing to leave, Bitburger Braugruppe will need to appoint a new managing director for sales and marketing. The supervisory bodies confirmed that the search for a successor will begin shortly.
The Bitburger Braugruppe is one of Germany’s largest privately owned brewing groups and remains under family ownership. Founded in 1817 in the Eifel region, the company is today managed by the seventh generation of the owning family. The group has developed into a leading player in the German premium beer segment and is a major supplier of draught beer to the country’s gastronomy sector. Its portfolio includes well-known beer brands such as Bitburger, König Pilsener, Köstritzer and Licher, while the group also produces the Benediktiner brand under license from the Benedictine monastery of Ettal in Bavaria. With revenue of EUR 798 million in 2024, the company remains one of the most important privately controlled brewing groups in Germany.
