SERAF DE SMEDT

SERAF DE SMEDT has been named president of Duvel USA — the parent company of Brewery Ommegang of Cooperstown. De Smedt has served as the chief finance and administration officer for Duvel Moortgat since December 2013. Duvel Moortgat is a fourth-generation, family-owned craft brewery based in Puurs-Sint-Amands, Belgium. The company owns and operates 10 breweries in the U.S. and Europe, including Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown. With the transition to his new role, he will work closely with the U.S.-based leadership team while continuing to oversee the global-finance team for Duvel Moortgat. 

John McDonald, founder of Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, who stepped in as interim president for Duvel USA in late January, will return to retirement with this transition. De Smedt will split his time between Belgium and the U.S. Prior to joining Duvel Moortgat, De Smedt served as CFO at Lineas, a Belgian rail freight company between 2009 and 2013, and as associate principal at McKinsey & Company, a consultancy between 2001 and 2009. He started his career as a senior auditor at PwC, an auditing firm, between 1996 and 1999.