Heineken USA President, CEO Lands on 40 Under 40 List

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Heineken USA's President and CEO Dolf van den Brink has been named one of Fortune magazine's "40 Under 40" for 2012. Van den Brink, 39, landed at No. 8.

He began his career with the beer company as a commercial management trainee in 1998. He spent six months as a unit controller in Helmond, Netherlands, and rose methodically, eventually landing in the Congo, where he ran commercial operations. By the time he left there in 2009, van den Brink had more than doubled the brand's market share there and tripled its revenue, according to the magazine.

Since taking the top U.S. leadership spot in 2009, van den Brink has seen Heineken USA's portfolio show marked improvement -- increasing 4.1 percent in volume sales since January. The upward move comes on the heels of smart marketing campaigns, like the Dos Equis "Most Interesting Man" campaign, the news outlet added.

The Heineken executive ranks in the top 10 among tech leaders like Larry Page, co-founder and CEO of Google (No. 1), and Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook (No. 2). According to Heineken USA, this is the first time an executive from the beer industry has been nominated for the Forbes recognition.