Dragos Constantinescu, a Romanian executive who left the country 20 years ago, will return to manage Ursus Breweries, the biggest beer producer in Romania.

He will take over this position next year, replacing Russian Igor Tikhonov, who has been managing Ursus since January 2014. Tikhonov will move to Poland, to lead Japanese group Asahi’s division there.

Asahi took over SAB Miller’s operations in Central and Eastern Europe, including Ursus Breweries, in early-2017.

Dragos Constantinescu worked in the last 16 years for tobacco producer British American Tobacco (BAT), where he held various management positions, including country manager and division manager.

Ursus Breweries had a turnover of EUR 373 million and a net profit of EUR 34.6 million in 2017. The company has over 1,400 employees.

editor@romania-insider.com