AB InBev Names Ingrid De Ryck as Chief Sustainability Officer: 3 Things to Know

Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) has named Ingrid De Ryck (pictured above) to succeed Ezgi Barcenas as chief sustainability officer (CSO). Barcenas is departing AB InBev to join cosmetics giant L’Oréal Groupe as chief corporate responsibility officer. The CSO transition will be effective on March 1, 2024.

Here are three things to know about Ingrid De Ryck's experience, Ezgi Barcenas's achievements and the Anheuser-Busch InBev sustainability strategy.

1. Business Scope and Scale: AB InBev is a global drink and brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium. High-profile brands include Beck's, Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois, among many others.

According to the company's 2022 sustainability report (released in March 2023):

• Annual revenues were $57.8 billion and EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) were $19.8 billion.
• The company, backed by roughly 167,000 employees, operates 175 breweries worldwide.

2. Sustainability Milestones and Goals: The company has reduced Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 20.7% per hectoliter of production since 2017. Longer term, the company is striving to achieve net zero across its value chain by 2040. Near term, AB InBev says it is on track to reach these 2025 sustainability goals:

• Leverage 100% renewable energy
• Achieve 35% absolute emissions reduction across Scope 1 and 2.
• Achieve 25% emissions reduction per hecoliter across overall value chain (Scopes 1, 2 and 3).
• Leverage 100% packaging that's either returnable or made from a majority of recycled content.

3. Chief Sustainability Officer Succession Plan: In a prepared statement, AB InBev praised both De Ryck and Barcenas for their work and leadership at the company.

New CSO Ingrid De Ryck has been with AB InBev for more than 22 years. Most recently, De Ryck was VP of procurement & sustainability for Europe, where she "built a resilient supply chain of materials and revised our commodity strategy in an inflationary environment," the company said. De Ryck will report to Ricardo Moreira, AB InBev’s chief supply chain officer.

Current CSO Ezgi Barcenas will exit the company for a new opportunity outside of the business. During her decade-long career at AB InBev, Barcenas has "taken on roles of increasing responsibility, serving as a trusted advisor, stewarding our sustainability efforts, and overseeing our award-winning accelerator program," the company said.

That accelerator program, known as the 100+ Accelerator, seeks "partners who can deliver breakthrough advancements in water stewardship, farmer productivity, product upcycling, responsible sourcing, green logistics and more."

AB InBev Chief Sustainability Officer: Why Technology Partners Should Care

By 2027, 25% of Global 2000 companies will have assigned a chief sustainability officer (CSO) responsible for meeting their organization’s ESG goals and making ESG-related IT purchasing decisions, according to IDC.

The bottom line: Technology partners need to extend their sales, marketing, engagement and support strategies to successfully fulfill those CSO customer needs, Sustainable Tech Partner believes.