Global Brewer CEO Carlos Brito to Deliver 2018 Commencement Address at Stanford’s Business School

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Carlos Brito, MBA ’89 | Photo courtesy of Anheuser-Busch InBev

Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO Carlos Brito will deliver the commencement address at Stanford Graduate School of Business on Saturday, June 16, 2018.

Together with his team, Brito helped transform the industry by building the world’s largest brewing company. He earned his MBA in 1989 and is the chief executive of a global company with 200,000 colleagues in over 50 countries and more than 500 iconic brands sold in more than 100 countries.

“Brito is a global business leader for the modern age,” said Jonathan Levin, Philip H. Knight Professor and Dean of Stanford Graduate School of Business. “He started in Brazil and built the world’s largest brewing company. Today, he leads an organization that operates in virtually every time zone, yet he remains down to earth and closely connected to his customers and colleagues.”

In 1989 Brito joined Brazilian beer and soft drinks company Brahma, which 10 years later merged with Companhia Antarctica Paulista to form Ambev. There he held various positions in finance, operations, and sales before being appointed CEO in January 2004. Ambev combined with Belgium’s Interbrew to form InBev eight months later, and Brito became Zone President North America. He was appointed CEO in December 2005.

Brito led the successful merger with Anheuser-Busch in 2008. In October 2016, after the company acquired SAB, Brito remained CEO of what had become the world’s largest brewer.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Brito earned his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and received his MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

He is a member of the advisory council at Stanford GSB and serves on the advisory board of the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management.

Brito has lived in Brazil, Germany, Canada, Belgium, and the United States.

Inaugurated in 2010, Stanford GSB’s alumni commencement speaker program brings business leaders back to inspire graduating students as they embark on their own careers.