This interview with Dolf van den Brink, president and chief executive of Heineken USA, was conducted and condensed by Adam Bryant.
Q. What was your career plan coming out of college?
A. I was on my way to becoming a banker. I had three offers, and then I realized I wasn’t sure it was the kind of work I wanted to do. Just making money was never a motivation for me. I ran into a recruiter for Heineken, and he struck a chord with me. I had a feeling that I could grow into leadership roles there. I started at the bottom of the ladder, doing sales and marketing.
My first real leadership role was when I was sent to the Congo. I was 32. I was going to be managing 700 people in a division that was losing market share and money.
Q. So what did you do?
