“It is the hard path, but it’s the right path.” Our guest for this episode is Bart De Keninck, a Belgian business executive, Managing Director of Heineken Ethiopia, and President of the Ethiopian Brewers Association. From beginning his career in consulting and marketing to spending 20 years within the Heineken ecosystem across Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Ethiopia, Bart’s journey has been shaped by consumer focus, long-term thinking, ambition, and a belief in developing people. He has led Heineken Ethiopia since June 2023, after nearly five years as Managing Director of Heineken Switzerland. In this conversation, we explore the beer industry, brand building, consumer behavior, marketing in a restricted advertising environment, leadership, talent development, and business growth in Ethiopia. Bart shares lessons from Heineken’s journey in the Ethiopian market, building a local value chain with farmers and suppliers, launching Desperados, developing Ethiopian talent for global roles, and balancing day-to-day challenges with long-term vision. He also reflects on leadership, risk-taking, the meaning of success, and why focusing on the positive can shape both life and business. Abyssinia Remit: https://mcnpkmnf81rz7s-0mxl8ql8p6yz8.pub.sfmc-content.com/wvki4fcnklo?src=Meri&cmp=rmt Amibara Properties: You can reach their sales and corporate consulting teams via the following contact lines:- Line 1: +251 901 69 69 69; Line 2: +251 969 36 36 36 Dukamo Coffee CMC: https://maps.app.goo.gl/yPQwHfz4xWNR3k1Z9 Phone No: 0950050607 To advertise on Meri: https://meri.et/advertise +251974255555 info@meri.et Social Links https://t.me/MERI_PODCAST https://twitter.com/MERI_Podcast https://www.instagram.com/meripodcast/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzKNuQ80qNSpt2x-7dsazJg https://youtube.com/@Meriwoch?si=yIpJ3byprnVNwKi1 https://youtube.com/@mericlipset?si=wwa0KeQ_Nv2aPy9l https://www.tiktok.com/@meripodcast https://www.linkedin.com/company/meriethiopian/ Copyright Notice for Meri Podcast: All rights reserved. The content featured in this podcast is protected by copyright laws. Unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or modification of any portion of this podcast is strictly prohibited. For permission to use our content, please contact us at info@meri.et Thank you for respecting our copyright.