Updated 5:09 p.m. March 28, 2011 with additional reasons for leaving the board:
The St. Louis Business Journal reports other reasons for Busch's departure:
"For personal and health reasons August Busch IV has decided not to seek re-election at the annual shareholders meeting," A-B spokeswoman Marianne Amssoms said.
As updated 3:30 p.m. March 28, 2011:
The former CEO of Anheuser-Busch Cos., August A. Busch IV, will be leaving the board of Anheuser-Busch InBev following the annual shareholders' meeting, Bloomberg News reports:
The world’s largest brewer will ask investors on April 26 in Brussels to approve Olivier Goudet, chief financial officer of Mars Inc., and Paul Cornet de Ways Ruart as directors for a four-year term, according to the convening notice published on the company’s website. Goudet and Cornet will replace Jean-Luc Dehaene and Arnoud de Pret on AB InBev’s board, which will have 12 members following the departure of Busch.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, via the Associated Press, reports that the move is unrelated to the negative publicity surrounding Busch since the death of his girlfriend from a drug overdose late last year.
Busch's board seat was always considered a courtesy after Anheuser-Busch was sold to InBev in 2008, as InBev's board went to 13 seats from 12 previously. It will now revert to 12. Busch's term had always been scheduled to end next month, the newspaper said.