Anheuser-Busch CEO Brendan Whitworth is leaving his position at the end of this month for a new job leading a luxury gym chain, AB InBev announced Monday.

His departure for Equinox, a New York City-based gym chain, comes after a tumultuous five years at the helm of A-B marked by declining beer sales and political backlash following a 2023 partnership with a transgender social media star.

“I am incredibly proud of the North America leadership team and everything we have accomplished together, and I am confident that the business will continue to be successful in the years and decades to come,” Whitworth said in a statement.

Whitworth has been with AB InBev since 2013. He became the CEO for A-B, the North American branch of Belgium-based AB InBev, in 2021. Before that, he held a number of commercial leadership roles at the company, including chief sales officer.

A-B’s North American division, headquartered in St. Louis, has been challenged in recent years by declining sales volume. In 2023, beer sales started to plummet, after a marketing campaign collaboration with transgender social media star Dylan Mulvaney led some consumers, including celebrities like Kid Rock, to call for a boycott of Bud Light.

A few months following the controversial video, Whitworth appeared on "CBS Mornings" and declined to say if collaborating with Mulvaney to market Bud Light was a mistake.

“We'll continue to support the communities and organizations that we've supported for decades, but as we move forward we want to focus on what we do best, which is brewing great beer for everyone, listening to our consumers, being humble and listening to them, making sure that we do right by our employees, take care and support our partners and, ultimately, make an impact in the community that we serve,” Whitworth said in June 2023.

Members of the LGBTQ+ community were angered by Whitworth's failure to defend the Mulvaney collaboration. Mulvaney also shared that Bud Light did not reach out to her following the controversy.

A new CEO for A-B has yet to be announced. In the meantime, the North America leadership team will report directly to Doukeris, who led A-B’s North American Zone from 2018 to 2021, according to a news release.

“My sincere thanks to Brendan for his contributions to AB InBev and for his partnership over the past 13 years,” Michel Doukeris, CEO of AB InBev, said in a statement. “The strategy in the U.S. that has been in place since 2018 has resulted in an industry-leading portfolio, strong alignment with our wholesaler partners and sustained commercial momentum.”

Whitworth has also overseen the growth of the brand's other core beers, such as Michelob Ultra, which became the No. 1 top-selling beer in the U.S. last year, and its nonalcoholic options, with 40% market share the U.S. nonalcoholic beer market

Last week, AB InBev reported flat beer sales for its most recent quarter, ending Sept. 30.

For its third quarter, the brewer reported a $1.4 billion increase in revenue, to $16.5 billion. This growth was largely pushed by the company’s nonalcoholic beer and “beyond beer” categories, which saw a 35% and 19% increase in revenue, respectively.

Non-beer volumes were up 4%, while beer volumes overall were down by 0.1%, due to abnormal weather and other challenges in China, where volumes declined by almost 17%.

Equinox announced the appointment on Monday and said Whitworth, a longtime fitness enthusiast and former U.S. Marine Corps officer, will combine his passion for wellness with his business expertise to lead the company.

Harvey Spevak, Equinox executive chairman, said that he was personally involved with bringing Whitworth to the company.

“Brendan has a deep appreciation for what Equinox represents and a deep understanding of what makes exceptional brands resonate with consumers,” Spevak said in a statement. “I know he shares our commitment to delivering an unparalleled experience for our members, and I look forward to working closely with him in his new role as we continue to push the boundaries of what Equinox can offer and build on everything that makes this brand so special.”

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