Dutch drinks brand Heineken has appointed Romain Apert as the new chief digital & technology officer, effective on 15 May 2026.

He will succeed Ronald den Elzen, who spent 31 years in the role and will stay on the team to ensure a smooth transition.

Apert has worked for over two decades at Mars, where he held CIO positions across the business and most recently served as CIO for Mars Petcare.

During his time at the major FMCG manufacturer, he oversaw a multi-year digitisation-at-scale strategy to support the brand’s growth and productivity.

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As part of his new duties, he will be working alongside the executive leadership team to execute the brand’s EverGreen 2030 strategy, which includes scaling value from data and AI.

Dolf van den Brink, CEO of Heineken, said: “I am delighted to welcome Romain to the Heineken family. He joins Heineken with deep international experience leading large-scale digital transformation, data and technology strategy, and complex change across global businesses.

“He is known for combining operational rigour with practical innovation and a people‑centred leadership style and is an excellent fit with the Heineken culture.”

This announcement comes after the brand revealed plans to cut down on around 5,000 to 6,000 positions over the next two years as part of its financial turnaround strategy, EverGreen 2030.

This was due to a softening overall consumer demand for beer and a company-wide restructuring according to the business.