Britain’s Vodafone has hired Jean-Francois Van Boxmeer, the current CEO of Heineken, as its chairman. He will succeed Gerard Kleisterlee from November 2020.

Van Boxmeer, a Belgian, will join Vodafone as a non-executive director on July 28.

Since 2005, Boxmeer has been Heineken’s CEO, presiding over a nearly threefold increase in its share price through a combination of strategic transactions and organic growth.

In June he will hand over his role to Dolf van den Brink, who is currently the company’s Asia-Pacific chief.

Van Boxmeer “is a very experienced businessman, with an in-depth knowledge of our geographic regions and he brings very strong sales and customer focus,” said Kleisterlee, who has been Vodafone’s chairman for nine years.

“I am greatly looking forward to working with (CEO) Nick (Read) and the executive team to drive forward Vodafone’s strategy, ensuring that we create significant value for all stakeholders,” said Van Boxmeer.

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