German beer boss fired for drink driving

The head of the German unit of the world's biggest brewery company has lost his job over a drink-driving incident, a spokesman said Tuesday.

Till Hedrich, who had run Anheuser-Busch InBev's operations in the beer-loving country since January, is leaving the company "with immediate effect", spokesman Oliver Bartelt said in an email.

He said Hedrich, 44, admitted to causing a car crash on a highway south of Munich on April 30 while he was "significantly under the influence of alcohol".

"You can imagine that we, as a company that produces alcohol, have strict internal rules and recommendations for consumers for the enjoyment of alcoholic beverages," Bartelt said.

These include a no-tolerance policy for employees driving under the influence, with a clause stipulating "career consequences" for any violations.

"That is why the company was so shocked about the account (of the accident) by Hedrich, who serves as a role model in his job," Bartelt said.

He did not provide further details of the crash.

The director of the giant's European operations, Stuart MacFarlane, will replace Hedrich until a successor is named.

The company, formed in 2008 by the merger of Belgian-Brazilian group InBev and US brewing giant Anheuser-Busch, owns brands including Budweiser, Beck's and Corona. It posted $47.1 billion (42.4 billion euros) in sales worldwide last year.