Heineken, the world’s second-largest brewer, is owned by a combination of individuals and entities. The largest single stakeholder is Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken, who owns a 25% controlling stake in the company. Born on June 30, 1954, Carvalho-Heineken is a Dutch billionaire businesswoman. Upon the death of her father in 2002, she inherited approximately £3 billion, making her the wealthiest person with Dutch citizenship. As of May 2021, she was also the richest person in the Netherlands, with a net worth of $16.7 billion according to the Forbes billionaires list. Carvalho-Heineken also serves as an executive director at Heineken1.
However, ownership of Heineken extends beyond Carvalho-Heineken. The company’s shareholders include several entities such as Heineken Holding N.V., Fomento Económico Mexicano, S.A.B. de C.V. (FEMSA), GQG Partners LLC, Morgan Stanley Investment Management Ltd., The Vanguard Group, Inc., Lindsell Train Ltd., Amundi Asset Management SA, MFS International (UK) Ltd., and Norges Bank Investment Management. Among these, Heineken Holding N.V. and FEMSA hold the most significant stakes, with 50% and 8.63% of the shares, respectively2.
Heineken Holding N.V. is a public company listed on the NYSE Euronext Amsterdam, with its single investment being Heineken International. This holding company is majority-owned by L’Arche Green N.V, an investment vehicle of the Heineken family and the Hoyer family. Specifically, L’Arche Green N.V. is owned 88.86% by the Heineken Family and 11.14% by the Hoyer family34.
On the other hand, FEMSA is a Mexican multinational beverage and retail company that holds an additional 14.935% in Heineken Holding N.V., bringing its total direct and indirect shareholding in Heineken International to 20%. Interestingly, Cascade Investments LLC, whose main partner is Bill Gates, announced an investment of $390 million in FEMSA in December 2007. This investment led to Gates owning a considerable stake in FEMSA, making the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation the institutional holder with the most shares of FEMSA35.
In summary, while Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken is the largest individual owner of Heineken, the beer company’s ownership structure is complex and includes a number of other major stakeholders. These include other members of the Heineken family through Heineken Holding N.V. and L’Arche Green N.V., the Mexican conglomerate FEMSA, and various institutional investors. This mix of private and institutional ownership is fairly typical for large multinational corporations. It ensures a diverse range of inputs into company decision-making and provides a level of stability for the company’s financial and operational performance.