Archives: Speakers

Having studied microbiology at Reading University I joined Courage, Barcley, Simmonds at their Reading Brewery in 1975. In 1980 I moved to a regional brewery in Horsham Sussex, King and Barnes, and was promoted to Head Brewer in 1985. That brewery was taken over in 2000 and closed. As we had a successful production team which had won on 20 major prizes, including the overall Champion of the Great British Beer Festival and voted as one of the top ten breweries in the world, four of us set up out own brewery largely brewing and packaging beer for other brewers.

In 2016 we completed a ground up build of a new site implementing a lot of the carbon reduction actions that are now seen as vital.

Jan Niewodniczanski studied brewing engineering at the TU Munich/Weihenstephan and later went on to complete his MBA studies at the Graduate School of Business at Cape Town University. He then worked at Spaten Franziskaner and gained international experience with Anheuser Busch USA and San Miguel Breweries in the Philippines and in China. From 1995 until 2006 he worked in different leading positions at South African Breweries SAB Ltd in South Africa.

Since October 2006 he has been back in the family business and in management where he represents the 7^th generation of family shareholders. His role: Managing Director Engineering and Environment at Bitburger Braugruppe GmbH.

Experienced Managing Director with a demonstrated history of working in the food & beverages industry at International level. Skilled in Marketing Management, Negotiation, Business Planning, Advertising, Sales and overall Business Management and Entrepreneurship. Strong business development professional graduated from ESADE with enhanced education from other prestigious institutions.

With over 22 years of experience in the global beer industry, I am a seasoned and passionate leader who drives growth, innovation, and excellence. My core competencies include identifying new opportunities, sales and marketing, business development, and strategy. As the Global Sales Director and Board Member at Budweiser Budvar, I am responsible for expanding and developing the activities of the Czech national brewer beyond its country of origin, while staying true to its heritage, quality, and authenticity.

In my current role, I lead a step change in the export business, overseeing a network of over 80 markets and managing a team of 100 people. I have a strong track record of delivering results, achieving double-digit growth in volume and revenue, securing global contracts and partnerships, launching and developing new products and brands. I also leverage my legal and international business background to navigate complex regulatory and trade environments, and to build trust and rapport with diverse stakeholders. I am always eager to learn, grow, and challenge myself, and to share my insights and expertise with others.

Benet has been Quality, R&D+i and Environment Director at Mahou San Miguel since 2016. Prior to this, he was Assistant Director of the same area. And from 2017 to 2021, he also held the position of Managing Director of the New Business Unit.

He graduated in Chemical Engineering from the Chemical Institute of Sarrià (IQS), with a specialisation in Organic Chemistry, and holds an MBA from EADA Business School and holds a Master in Brewing Technology from ESCEMA/UPM and ADECA at San Telmo BS in Sevilla He is currently the President of EBC (European Brewery Convention).

Benet has been part of the Mahou San Miguel team since 1997, when he joined as an Assistant in the Quality Division and Head of Projects.