Groot Constantia names Dr Edo Heyns CEO from 19 Oct
The Constantia estate held in trust for the nation has appointed Dr Edo Heyns as CEO from 19 October 2026. He will work beside Jean Naudé until Naudé retires on 30 November after leading since 2002; Heyns was CEO of Allée Bleue from March 2024 and earlier held senior Advini South Africa roles.
South Africa’s oldest wine estate is changing the person who signs the letters.
Groot Constantia — the commercial wine property held in trust for the nation — has appointed Dr Edo Heyns as CEO, effective 19 October 2026. He will sit beside current CEO Jean Naudé through a handover until Naudé retires on 30 November. Naudé has led the estate since 2002.
Heyns arrives from Allée Bleue, where he was CEO from March 2024. Before that he held senior roles at Advini South Africa. Christian Eedes at winemag.co.za notes a span across production, operations, sales, marketing and hospitality — the full cellar-door stack an estate open to visitors needs.
The Trust structure matters: this is not a private flip. Continuity through November is the explicit brief — one CEO signing out after more than two decades, another signing in with Cape operating mileage.
Mini-concept: a national-trust estate changes CEOs the way a cellar changes barrels — carefully, with overlap, so the wine and the visitors barely feel the seam.
Keep: a soft drink brand swaps managers overnight. A Constantia bottle waited for a two-month handover — choose the estate that still treats succession as part of the craft.
Remember: Heyns starts 19 Oct; handover until Naudé retires 30 Nov (CEO since 2002); Heyns was CEO Allée Bleue from March 2024; prior Advini SA; estate held in trust for the nation.
Source: winemag.co.za / Christian Eedes