Stijn de Bekker

Board & Governance

Independent Judgement

Proven ability to challenge constructively and provide independent oversight across complex, multi-stakeholder organisations — balancing commercial ambition with risk and governance responsibilities.

AI, Technology & Data

Deep practitioner expertise in responsible AI deployment, data strategy, and marketing technology governance — directly relevant to board-level oversight of digital transformation and emerging technology risk.

Fiduciary Experience

Serving as elected board member of a Condominium in Portugal — accountable to managing collective decision-making and financial oversight in a regulated fiduciary capacity.

Recent Professional Experience

Global Head of CX capabilities at BAT

London, United Kingdom

In a highly dynamic and commercial context, leading the global consumer marketing activation team to enable local markets to deliver consumer experience (CX) activations that drive engagement and growth.

Accountable for the end-to-end consumer journey (acquire–convert–retain) and IoT products
Member of the Global Consumer Engagement Leadership Team, managing budgets and a team of marketing professionals
Standardize, develop and scale global CX capabilities, both online and offline, balancing global consistency with local market needs
Build cross-functional partnerships across brand, insights, R&D, and technology to deliver measurable business outcomes
Set-up of a global consumer data pantry for consistent and standardized reporting of global KPIs

June 2025 - Present

Global Head of Consumer Technology at BAT

London, United Kingdom

Responsible for the global consumer marketing technology strategy across brand and product portfolio, covering eCommerce, CRM, content and analytics.

Defined and executed the global technology roadmap to enable seamless consumer connections and accelerate top-line growth
Led and grew global product teams, delivering end-to-end scalable technology solutions aligned to market needs
Managed the global consumer technology budget, driving efficiency and cost optimization
Championed a mindset of innovation through pilots and external partnerships.

February 2024 - June 2025

Global Head of Connected Ecosystems at BAT

London, United Kingdom

Drove the commercialization of digital consumer products & services, leveraging connected devices to deliver significant top- and bottom-line growth.

Established global strategy as part of senior executive forums
Built and led cross-functional global teams to deliver scalable connected technology solutions
Led a cross-functional global product team to deliver end-to-end scalable technology solutions
Adopted SAFe/Agile governance, accelerating time-to-market and consumer value delivery
Applied data-driven insights to guide consumer app development and long-term R&D investments

June 2022 - January 2024

Regional Head of DBS Marketing at BAT

London, United Kingdom

Previously known as British American Tobacco, BAT is a top FTSE-100 performer and amidst a massive transformation to build a better tomorrow with healthier consumer products.

Regional responsibility for Marketing Technology in the Americas and Sub-Saharan Africa area.

Partnered with regional and global teams as a trusted advisor to translate business strategies into execution
Provided insights and solutions to improve business performance and consumer engagement
Optimized IT and digital assets to deliver greater efficiency and ROI

August 2020 - May 2022

Strategic Advisor at HEINEKEN International

Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Reported to the global CIO, advising on global technology strategy and digital commerce.

Secured MT approval for a 3-year IT sourcing strategy
Accelerated eCommerce rollout in priority markets during the global pandemic
Improved global SAP Hybris platform performance and integration with core systems like ECC and Salesforce
Restructured Agile delivery of eCommerce delivery team, resulting in cost savings, quality improvements, and faster execution

Feb 2020 - July 2020

CIO at Sociedade Central de Cervejas e Bebidas

Lisbon, Portugal

HEINEKEN’s local operations in Portugal. This includes a beer brewery (“Sagres”), wholesaler, malt house, water plant (“Luso”) with spa and a craft beer business.

Accountable for all IT services in Portugal across breweries, the water plant, and wholesale operations (2,000+ employees)

Delivered a 3-year business-IT strategy and reorganized IT to build new capabilities
Established long-term partner agreements, driving performance improvements and cost savings
Led digital transformation with a full technology landscape overhaul
Facilitated Agile adoption and company-wide innovation program

Jan 2017 - Jan 2020

CIO at HEINEKEN Global Shared Services

Kraków, Poland

European financial shared service centre, supporting 25+ group operating companies in transactional finance.

Led IT for a financial shared services hub supporting 1,000+ employees and a back office in India.

Implemented global service desk, achieving process and cost efficiencies.
Delivered SAP solutions for HR and finance.
Pioneered robotic process automation to transform finance operations.

Mar 2015 - Dec 2016

Education

Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Webster University

St. Louis (MO), US

graduated with GPA 3.94 in a fast-track program
focus on business leadership, strategy, and organizational transformation
built a foundation for aligning technology investments with commercial outcomes

Master in Computer Science (MSc) at University of Twente

Enschede, NL

specialized in multi-media database retrieval and advanced information systems
gained expertise in data-driven technologies that later fueled work in digital transformation and consumer technology
developed a strong balance between technical depth and applied business value

VWO Atheneum at Mencia de Mendoza

Breda, NL

pre-university education with emphasis on languages, sciences, and classical studies (Latin & Greek)
provided a strong analytical and cultural foundation, supporting a career in global leadership roles

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Global Marketing & Technology Executive | NED & Board Advisor

Board & Governance

Independent Judgement

AI, Technology & Data

Fiduciary Experience

Recent Professional Experience

Global Head of CX capabilities at BAT

Global Head of Consumer Technology at BAT

Global Head of Connected Ecosystems at BAT

Regional Head of DBS Marketing at BAT

Strategic Advisor at HEINEKEN International

CIO at Sociedade Central de Cervejas e Bebidas

CIO at HEINEKEN Global Shared Services

Project Manager at HEINEKEN International

Cluster Lead Digital Consultants at HEINEKEN International

Education

Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Webster University

Master in Computer Science (MSc) at University of Twente

VWO Atheneum at Mencia de Mendoza

Get in Touch

Stijn de Bekker

About

Global Marketing & Technology Executive | NED & Board Advisor

Expertise

Board & Governance

Independent Judgement

AI, Technology & Data

Fiduciary Experience

Recent Professional Experience

Global Head of CX capabilities at BAT

Global Head of Consumer Technology at BAT

Global Head of Connected Ecosystems at BAT

Regional Head of DBS Marketing at BAT

Strategic Advisor at HEINEKEN International

CIO at Sociedade Central de Cervejas e Bebidas

CIO at HEINEKEN Global Shared Services

Project Manager at HEINEKEN International

Cluster Lead Digital Consultants at HEINEKEN International

Education

Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Webster University

Master in Computer Science (MSc) at University of Twente

VWO Atheneum at Mencia de Mendoza

Get in Touch