Within the clubby confines of the beer industry, it's an odd coupling, not unlike, say, Angelina Jolie and Billy Bob Thornton or Lyle Lovett and Julia Roberts. InBev and Anheuser-Busch-which on July 13 succumbed to InBev's hostile bid and agreed to be acquired for $52 billion-couldn't be more different. At Belgium-based InBev, Chief Executive Carlos Brito and his team have steamrolled their way through a series of acquisitions that prompted one analyst to call them "machete-wielding investment bankers." To pay for those deals, Brito cuts costs to the bone: The native of Brazil orders his executives to fly coach on most flights, is stinting with standard industry perks like company cars and free beer, and encourages employees to photocopy on both sides of each sheet of paper.
展开▼
