August A. Busch IV
West 1982
August A. Busch IV is president and chief executive officer of Anheuser-Busch Cos., an $18 billion international corporation and brewer of the world’s largest-selling beers.
Anheuser-Busch is one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, owning the Sea World and Busch Gardens parks, among others. The corporation also is one of the largest U.S. manufacturers and recyclers of aluminum beverage containers in the world. Finally, the corporation has interests in malt production, rice milling, label printing, bottle production, transportation services and real estate development.
Busch was named president and chief executive officer in December 2006. Since 2002, he has served as president of Anheuser-Busch, Inc., the U.S. brewing arm of the corporation, which commands a nearly 50 percent share of U.S. beer sales. He continues to oversee the U.S. beer company.
In 1985, Busch began his Anheuser-Busch career as a brewing division intern and later worked in numerous departments, including brewing, operations, marketing and business planning. Before he was named president in 2002, he served as vice president of brand management and later vice president of marketing for the company’s 40-brand portfolio.
Busch serves on the board of directors and strategy committee for Anheuser-Busch Cos., Inc., and is chairman of the Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Board of Directors. He is a board member of FedEx Corp. and Grupo Modelo, S.A.B. de C.V.
Busch is chairman of the Beer Institute industry trade association and is on the boards of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Education is Freedom, Loyola Academy in St. Louis and the BackStoppers of St. Louis. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the American Paralysis Association, the General Henry Hugh Shelton Leadership Initiative at North Carolina State University, the Board of Fellows of Claremont University Center and Graduate School, and the Board of Governors of Cardinal Glennon Hospital in St. Louis.
Busch earned a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1987 and a master’s degree in business administration in 2000 from St. Louis University, as well as a degree in international brewing from the International Brewing Institute in Berlin, Germany, in 1988.
He and his wife, Kate, reside in St. Louis, Mo.