The Brewers of Europe’s General Assembly has elected as its new President, Christian Weber, CEO of the Karlsberg brewery and current President also of the German Brewers’ Association, the Deutscher Brauer-Bund.
Weber is the fifth generation of his family to run the Karlsberg Brauerei KG Weber, to give the brewery its full name.
He is also a longstanding member of the Board of The Brewers of Europe, having served previously as its Vice-President.
Weber takes over the helm from Lasse Aho, who has steered The Brewers of Europe ship as its President over what has been a “particularly challenging” five years for the European beer sector, buffeted by a global pandemic, closures in the horeca sector, spiralling costs, changing societal trends and a challenging political environment.
Thanking Aho, who also steps down from The Brewers of Europe Board, for his service over the years, Weber said “Lasse’s experience and calm demeanour have been much appreciated, first as Board member, then as Vice-President, and finally as President of The Brewers of Europe. I thank him for the many hours he has devoted in support of the activities of all of Europe’s breweries, small, medium and large.”
Founded in 1958, The Brewers of Europe brings together national brewers’ associations and companies from 28 European countries to represent the united voice of Europe’s 10,000+ breweries towards European and global institutions.
Together, beer in the European Union creates over 2 million jobs, with annual consumer spending of €110 billion generating an average of €52 billion in value-added and €40 billion in government tax revenues every year.
Weber shared his conviction that the European level is becoming ever more important for our industry, stating: “The challenges and opportunities that we face every day as an association and in the breweries do not stop at national borders.
“It is important to strengthen networking and the exchange of experience, beyond existing association structures and to collectively support policy frameworks that are fit for purpose. The Brewers of Europe is a strong association, well-respected in Brussels and with a broad network equipped to meet the challenges”.
Citing key political issues like excessive bureaucracy and regulations, energy costs and packaging policy, Weber stressed: “Further strengthening dialogue with policymakers, making the brewing industry’s positions clear and making the positive case for beer in the world of today and the future are where I would like to make my contribution, for the benefit of all breweries. Whilst we still have a relatively new European Commission and Parliament, I am confident that The Brewers of Europe and its members, together with the rest of the beer value chain, can be valuable and responsible partners in helping Europe steer towards a sustainable, prosperous future for its citizens and brewers alike.”
Weber, studied economics at the University of Edinburgh and then worked in the food and beverage industry abroad, including in Switzerland and Ghana. Weber later worked for Heineken in Austria. In 2010, he joined his family’s brewery Karlsberg Brauerei KG Weber. Before being elected President of the German Brewers‘ Association (DBB), Christian Weber was Vice-President of the DBB and of The Brewers of Europe.
