Jose Dedeurwaerder
Jose Joseph Dedeurwaerder | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 31, 1932 Brussels, Belgium |
| Occupation(s) | Corporate leader, CEO |
| Years active | 1958–1995 |
| Known for | CEO of American Motors Corporation, CEO of Interbrew |
Jose Joseph Dedeurwaerder (born December 31, 1932) is a Belgian corporate leader who held the positions of CEO at both American Motors Corporation and Interbrew.
Early life
He was born in Brussels to parents Louis and Philippine Dedeurwaerder. In 1954, he wed Nelly Antoinette Clemens, and together they have one daughter.
Renault
Dedeurwaerder began his career at Renault in 1958, taking on the role of manufacturing director at the Vilvoorde Renault Factory. Between 1967 and 1973, he served as industrial director for Renault Argentina, followed by a three-year tenure as CEO of Renault México. In 1976, he advanced to become director of stamping and assembly at the Douai Renault Factory.
American Motors
Following Renault’s acquisition of a controlling interest in American Motors on December 16, 1980, Dedeurwaerder was appointed executive vice president for manufacturing at AMC in September 1981. After changes in leadership during 1982, he replaced W. Paul Tippett Jr. as CEO in September 1984, while Tippett continued as chairman. Early in 1985, AMC announced its first full-year profit since 1979; however, financial difficulties emerged later that year, leading to a $50 million loan from Renault after incurring substantial losses.
In January 1986, Dedeurwaerder was named Renault’s executive vice president responsible for global sales and marketing but retained his AMC roles until March 1986. At that point, Joseph E. Cappy took over as AMC president and CEO. After the assassination of Renault chairman Georges Besse in November 1986, Dedeurwaerder was among those considered for succession; nevertheless, Raymond Levy was appointed and initiated plans to divest from AMC. On March 9, 1987, Chrysler purchased Renault’s shares along with the remaining AMC stock for about $1.5 billion.
Interbrew
Dedeurwaerder departed from Renault in January 1988. Later that year in September, he joined the executive committee of Interbrew—a brewing company formed through the merger of Brouwerij Artois and Piedboeuf Brewery—with intentions to take over as CEO from Andre de Spoelberch by the end of the year. During his leadership, he encountered disagreements with the founding families regarding international growth strategies. While Dedeurwaerder sought acquisitions to elevate Interbrew to a global competitor comparable to Heineken N.V. or Guinness Brewery, the board preferred concentrating on established markets. He exited Interbrew in February 1993.
Later life
Following his departure from Interbrew, Dedeurwaerder moved to a horse ranch spanning 130 acres located in Montgomery, Texas. Between 1993 and 1995, he held the position of president at Modern Engineering, an automotive engineering company under the ownership of CDI Corporation.