Who’s Who 2023: Anders Rud Jørgensen, MD, Carlsberg Canada

Anders Rud Jørgensen is a Carlsberg man, through and through. After graduating university, he worked for the oil giant Shell for a few months before joining Carlsberg. 

Jørgensen has been with the company for more than two decades and has taken on greater responsibilities over time.

“I started as a management trainee with Carlsberg around 22 years ago,” says Jørgensen, who now serves as managing director of Carlsberg Canada. “What I like about the industry is that’s it’s constantly evolving. We’re dealing with many routes to markets. We need to be strong and agile. We’re working in a constantly changing environment, and I like that.”

Change seems to be a constant in Jørgensen’s life. Before moving to Canada in January 2022, he was based in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he was the head of Carlsberg’s export and licence business in Southeast Europe, Asia, and Oceania. Further back in his Carlsberg career, he worked out of Brussels, Belgium, and Mönchen Gladbach, Germany, where he was responsible for other markets.

Moving to Canada

Jørgensen and his girlfriend moved to the Greater Toronto Area just over a year ago, and he says they’re both enjoying their time in Canada. His adult children, however, remain in Denmark where they are studying.

Moving to Canada, Jørgensen says, wasn’t much of a culture shock for him or his girlfriend. He jokes that all he had to do was put on warmer clothing. “There are differences between Europe and Canada but not to the same extent as some of the other markets I have dealt with,” he explains.

Although he’s been to two hockey games, Jørgensen says he still prefers soccer. “I don’t think I would do very well on ice,” he laughs. “But I do enjoy watching the game very much.”

An evolving market

In March 2023, Carlsberg’s acquisition of Canada’s Waterloo Brewing was finally closed. Jørgensen says that this $144 million transaction will require much of his attention in the months to come. “I want to see this through to make sure we have a successful integration,” he adds.

Jørgensen says he’s seen the industry change over the many years he’s been with Carlsberg, and that the Waterloo Brewing deal will help Carlsberg to diversify and expand market share. 

“We have been watching the market for cost pressures as they evolve, and we ultimately decided that Waterloo will secure our long-term growth,” he explains. “They have a portfolio that will complement our international portfolio quite well.”

Carlsberg Canada will also benefit from localizing production. 

“Local sourcing will eliminate high sea freight costs, mitigate damages, secure long-term robustness of our supply, enable commercial flexibility in terms of packs, limited editions. Also, speed to market for innovations will drive additional growth,” he explains.

Carlsberg’s international beer and cider portfolio is highly complementary with Waterloo Brewing’s portfolio of craft and local beers and ready-to-drink (RTD) products, and the joint company will be able to compete in more segments nationally.

Personal plans

Although the Waterloo deal will take up much of Jørgensen’s time and energy, he says that he plans to travel a bit to see the diverse parts of Canada. 

“I had a chance to go to Alberta for a week during the summer,” he says. “The nature is stunning. We also plan to go further West this year, as well as East next year. So, we basically have plans to see most of this beautiful country.” 

This article was originally published in the April/May 2023 issue of Food in Canada.