Romy Castel removed from boards of 3 Castel Afrique holding companies

DF Holding announced on 3 November 2026 that Romy Castel had been removed from her directorships at BIH (Brasseries Internationales Holding Ltd.), BIH Angola (Brasseries Internationales Holding (Angola) Ltd.) and BGI (Brasseries et Glacières Internationales). The 3 companies are the holding companies that head Castel Afrique. Their shareholder meetings were held on the same day.^{2 · 3}

The move came after Castel removed her from the board of Castel Vins on 26 June 2026 and from Somdia on 30 June 2026. Vinabox described the latest decision as the 3rd wave of removals during 2026 and said it formed part of an ongoing governance conflict between Romy Castel and group chief executive Gregory Clerc, who was appointed in 2023.^{2 · 3}

DF Holding’s explanation

DF Holding’s board said a director must act in the interests of the company and respect a duty of loyalty to the collective board. After reviewing the situation, it said Romy Castel’s conduct was no longer aligned with the interests of BIH, BIH Angola and BGI, and that the trust and cooperation required for her mandates were no longer present. The statement did not identify a specific act alleged against her; Vinabox reported that her entourage disputed the removals.^{2 · 3}

DF Holding said it remained committed to the development of the 3 companies and to stable and effective governance. According to Vinabox, Romy Castel is the daughter of founder Pierre Castel. The report said BIH oversees brewing operations including in Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, Mali, Guinea and Togo; BIH Angola covers beverages and glassmaking in Angola; and BGI oversees operations including in Cameroon, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Benin, Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic.^{2 · 3}

A wider struggle over control

Vinabox linked the removals to a wider contest over control of the group. It reported that a Singapore High Court decision of 25 September 2026 recorded that Romy Castel and 2 allies together held 72.33% of IBBM’s shares. It also reported that on 2 October 2026 the court confirmed votes removing Gregory Clerc and Pierre Baer from IBBM’s board, while DF Holding retained Clerc as chief executive and, together with Singapore-based Cassiopée, disputed that IBBM was the group’s parent company.³

The 3 November announcement concerned board mandates in Castel Afrique’s holding companies. It announced no operational change for the breweries or for Castel Group’s wine division, and did not target the brands of Castel Frères or the group’s wine estates.³