Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth to Leave for Equinox; AB InBev’s Michel Doukeris to Step In
Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth is leaving at the end of November to run Equinox. AB InBev CEO Michel Doukeris will lead the North American business until a new leader is named.
Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth is leaving at the end of November to become chief executive of Equinox, the luxury fitness and wellness club operator, AB InBev said Monday. AB InBev CEO Michel Doukeris will lead the North American business until a new leader is named.
TLDR
- Whitworth has run Anheuser-Busch, AB InBev’s North American arm, since July 2021. He joined the company in 2013.
- Doukeris, who ran the North American business from 2018 to 2021, steps in on an interim basis. AB InBev said a new North American leader will be named in due course.
- AB InBev reported third-quarter revenue of $16.5 billion last week, up 4.9% on an organic basis. Beer volume fell 0.1%, while volume outside beer grew 4%.
- Equinox runs 118 clubs and said it completed a refinancing that gives it more than $1 billion for growth.
Who Steps In
Doukeris led Anheuser-Busch from January 2018 to June 2021 and became AB InBev’s global CEO in July 2021, Yahoo Finance reported. Whitworth succeeded him in the U.S. role that summer. Until a permanent leader is named, the North American leadership team will report to Doukeris, BevNET reported.
Whitworth joined AB InBev in 2013 and served as chief sales officer before becoming CEO. Earlier, he held senior commercial roles at PepsiCo and served as an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, according to Athletech News.
The Business He Leaves
AB InBev said in its third-quarter report that it was the top share gainer in total alcohol year to date, led in beer by Michelob Ultra and Busch Light, Yahoo Finance reported. Michelob Ultra dollar sales grew 6.4% to $2.98 billion year to date through Oct. 4 in stores tracked by Circana, according to BevNET. Bud Light dollar sales fell 7.8% over the same period.
Total Anheuser-Busch volume has fallen from 94 million barrels in 2015 to 63.4 million in 2025, BevNET reported, citing Beer Marketer’s Insights. The company is investing $600 million in its U.S. brewing facilities, Food Dive reported. It has also expanded beyond beer, with spirits-based ready-to-drink brand Cutwater, Nütrl vodka seltzer and a majority stake in BeatBox.
Where He Is Going
Equinox operates 118 clubs in 18 markets across the U.S., Canada and the U.K., Athletech News reported. Harvey Spevak, who has led the company since 1999, stays on as chairman, and Whitworth joins the board. Over the past two years, Equinox introduced Optimize, a $3,000-a-month longevity membership, and began working with diagnostic testing platform Function Health.
Why It Matters
AB InBev, which BevNET calls the world’s largest beer maker, is changing its North American leader while volume outside beer grows and Bud Light declines. Yahoo Finance reported that Bud Light remains under pressure from competition for light beer drinkers and softer drinking among increasingly health-conscious consumers. AB InBev’s next North American leader will take over a U.S. beer business led by Michelob Ultra and Busch Light, with a $600 million brewery investment under way.
Sources: Food Dive, BevNET, Yahoo Finance, Athletech News.