Romain Rolland - Participant 2018-2019
“The Prince Albert Fund project was a major intercultural challenge on a daily basis and a real career change.”
Role
Romain’s project consisted in developing the overall presence of the non-alcoholic malt beverage portfolio of Inbev across existing countries of distribution (UAE and Kuwait) as well as in new countries such as Qatar, Oman and Bahrain.
Responsibilities
Romain’s main responsibilities included managing route-to-market strategies with new distributors; obtaining market intelligence for a comprehensive understanding of the category, consumers, competition and channels; contributing to a 360° strategic plan for the product launch and premiumization and establishing a portfolio expansion strategy before the launch of new products. He was also tasked with assuring compliance with regulatory and legislative requirements and Food & Beverage regulations.
How he benefited
The Prince Albert Fund project was a tremendous learning curve for Romain who used to work as a lawyer. After one year, he had acquired important skills such as critical thinking, project and stakeholder management as well as strategic business acumen.
Representing AB InBev in the Middle East was a major challenge too, especially because of the cultural mix in most Gulf Cooperation Council countries. “Working there requires you to adapt a lot in terms of intercultural management and communication”, he explains.
The company – AB InBev
AB InBev, is the biggest beer producer in the world and was established following a merger between the Belgian company Interbrew, the Brazilian company Ambev and the American company Anheuser Busch. The group operates as a holding company, engaging in the manufacture and distribution of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The company is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium.
“Thanks to Romain, we could identify and select new distributors in Oman and Qatar and develop a full launch plan to enter those new markets.”