After 21 years successful international career in the world biggest beer company Mr. Johan De Smet - Van Damme takes the challenge to transform one of the last independent Bulgarian beer brands .

Mr. Johan De Smet - Van Damme is the new General Manager of Ledenika & MM, the independent Bulgarian brewery, holder of the brands Ledenika, MM, Varnensko and Haberman.

Mr. Johan De Smet - Van Damme is a Belgian national, but knows Bulgarian beer business from within. In 2000 he joined the local team of Interbrew (now InBev) as Sales Director and subsequently takes up the position of Marketing Director and General Manager of the company. For 7 years he steers the market expansion and business development of many of the presently top-performing beer brands on the local market. 

The chain of successful marketing moves that has marked Mr. Johan De Smet - Van Damme’s career in Bulgarian beer market owes a great deal to his vast international experience in the beer industry. He enters the sales force of Interbrew as early as 1987. After a decade in various sales positions in Belgium, Mr. Johan De Smet - Van Damme heads the sales operations of Interbrew China, an extremely demanding and challenging assignment to pioneer a market that has been a terra incognita for western brands until then. 

Mr. Johan De Smet - Van Damme’s managerial approach is familiar to everyone in the local beer industry: foresight, quick decision-making, steady - though flexible - policies and energy and enthusiasm, which often fuel the forward steps of his entire team. The short-term priorities of the new General Manager will be to restructure company operations and to upgrade the present portfolio of local beers with set of international specialty beer brands, natural juices and other beverages. A special focus will be put on developing Ledenika & MM’s brand of spring water EVE. 

Presently Mr. Johan De Smet - Van Damme is living in Sofia with his wife and daughter. Aged 46, he has legal education and is fluent in English, French and German. Mr. Van Damme is also a President of the Bulgaria Belgium Luxembourg Business Club that unites the managers of Belgian companies represented in Bulgaria as well as Bulgarian business people active on the Belgian market.