As of November 1st, after seventeen years, John Soler stepped down as Managing Director of the Micro Matic Dispense Division. Cian Hickey assumed the Managing Director position. This succession plan began when Cian was hired three years ago. Cian has over 24 years of experience in the beer industry. He builds on a solid resume that includes Anheuser-Busch InBev where he was the Senior Sales Director, National Draught Beer. He started with Guinness in 1991 and joined InBev in 2003 where he drove sales for Stella Artois. Cian stated; “Having John Soler as a mentor for the last three years has allowed me to prove that I have the skill sets necessary to successfully lead Micro Matic to bigger and better things.”
John Soler has accomplished much during his tenure. From the first full financial year (2000/2001) after the integration of the three companies that were acquired by Micro Matic to form the Dispense Division to 15 years later, the company has stayed on track to achieve its annual sales budgets. Not once during those 15 years did Micro Matic have a down year and consistently achieved a compounded annual growth rate of over 13% year over year. Some of this happened during the Great Recession which were some of the most difficult economic times since 1929. John stated, “The success that was achieved would not have been possible without a tremendous effort of all the people who work within our company. We have assembled a great team. Thanks to all for their support over the last seventeen years. It means a great deal to me.”
John will be moving into the role of Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships. The major focus is seeking partnerships with companies that are in line with the Micro Matic long-term vision. John will also continue as a resource to the management team in the capacity as a sounding board and mentor.
Torben Toftegaard, President of Micro Matic USA, Inc., stated, “John Soler has led the Dispense Division with vision and professionalism for seventeen years. Successfully passing the torch to Cian Hickey is the result of building a strong organization. We can only expect more success and continued growth.”
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