Heineken appoints new chief people officer

Heineken N.V. has appointed a new chief people officer (CPO).

Yolanda Talamo, who is currently senior vice president human resources at Heineken Americas, will take over the role of CPO as of January 1, 2021.

She will replace Chris Van Steenbergen, who is set to retire as chief human resources officer and executive team member. Van Steenbergen has been serving Heineken since 2014.

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Talamo joined Heineken in 2016 and has held a number of senior HR positions throughout her career. Prior to her current role as SVP HR at the beverages company, she held leadership roles at SAB Miller, Cisneros and a variety of HR positions during her 18 years at Procter & Gamble.

Talamo is a highly experienced executive with an international perspective, both in developed and emerging markets, with a track record of culture integration. She also has extensive experience in building high performance teams, driving D&I and talent development at Heineken and in her prior positions.

“I am delighted by the internal promotion of Yolanda Talamo to the executive team,” said Dolf van den Brink, chairman of the executive board and CEO at Heineken. “Our executive team very much looks forward to working with Yolanda to evolve our culture as we become increasingly adaptable to change and accelerate talent development.

“I would also like to thank Chris Van Steenbergen for his significant contribution to Heineken over the years and wish him the very best in his retirement.”

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Van Steenbergen has been critical in progressing Heineken’s human resources agenda for the company and retaining their distinct culture worldwide.

What’s more, he has successfully introduced standardised people processes based on a one system platform. His team also successfully established the foundation of Heineken’s D&I strategy and he has been instrumental in attracting and developing the company’s senior leaders.