Boulevard beer founder John McDonald, who stepped in amid crisis, will retire again
Boulevard beer founder John McDonald, who stepped in amid crisis, will retire again
Boulevard Brewing Co. founder John McDonald will go back to retirement after taking over the Kansas City brewery amid a public sexual harassment crisis earlier this year.
McDonald founded the iconic beer business in 1989 and left in 2013 after selling to Belgian brewer Duvel Moortgat. He returned in January after longtime president Jeff Krum and two other top leaders stepped down amid accusations of sexual harassment in the workplace, gender discrimination and sexual assault that surfaced on social media.
Duvel Moortgat announced on Tuesday that Seraf De Smedt would take over its U.S. operations, which include Boulevard, Duvel USA and Brewery Ommegang in New York state.
In March, after an outside firm’s investigation substantiated claims of harassment and problematic workplace behavior, McDonald said he was committed to repairing the culture at Boulevard but didn’t say how long he might stay at the helm.
“I’m going to be 68 years old, and I’m not going to stay here forever,” McDonald said at the time. “But I’ve kind of committed to stay as long as it takes to, you know, feel like we’re on the right track.”
De Smedt was previously the chief finance and administration officer for Duvel Moortgat. Officials said he would split his time between Belgium and the United States.
“He has always worked closely with our U.S. operations, so having him take over the reins as president gives me great confidence that we are set up for a successful future,” McDonald said in a statement. “Seraf’s leadership style is collaborative and thoughtful. Combined with his finger on the pulse of the company from a global perspective, I retire knowing this next chapter for our company will be led exceptionally.”
Daily operations of Boulevard will be overseen by company veterans Bobby Dykstra, executive vice president of sales and marketing; Steven Pauwels, brewmaster of Boulevard; Dali Grabar, director of engineering for Boulevard; Julie Weeks, vice president of communications and culture; and Stephanie Walker, the new director of human resources.
“The U.S. market has been a great passion of mine since joining Duvel Moortgat,” De Smedt said in a statement. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to work with my U.S. colleagues more closely. The beer and alcoholic beverage industries have never been more complex, which provides all of us the task of balancing our innovation and staying true to our heritage beers. I look forward to the adventures ahead and want to wholeheartedly thank John for the crucial role he played these past months. He leaves big shoes to fill, so I count on the entire leadership team to do so with me.”
Prior to joining Duvel Moortgat, De Smedt was the chief financial officer at Belgian rail freight company Lineas and an associate principal at global consultancy McKinsey & Company.
