A grandson of Freddy Heineken, the man who built the Dutch brewer into an international beer giant, will be the first of a new generation of Heineken heirs to take a place on the board of the brewer's holding company.

Alexander de Carvalho, 28, is the oldest son of Freddy Heineken's daughter, Charlene de Carvalho.

He is to be approved to a four-year term on the board of Heineken Holding NV, starting in April, the company said Friday. The Heineken family controls the holding company, which in turn controls Heineken NV. That structure lets the family retain a veto over Heineken's corporate decisions with just a 25 percent economic stake.

De Carvalho is a Harvard graduate who currently works at private equity firm Lion Capital.