From Brown-Forman to Bacardi, we take a look at some of the companies welcoming new faces to top jobs this month.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners will welcome John Galvin into his new role as General Manager for CCEP in Germany in June.
Galvin is currently Vice President Sales & Marketing for Germany having joined the business in 2019. Prior to this, John led Coca-Cola Icecek’s business in Pakistan having begun his career with Guinness. He has held sales and marketing roles across Europe and Asia and brings a huge amount of experience in the beverages sector to CCEP.
During his time with the company Galvin has successfully built customer relationships, steering the commercial business in Germany through the pandemic.
John succeeds Frank Molthan, who will join CCEP's Supervisory Board in Germany. Frank has been General Manager for CCEP Germany since 2016, and has worked in the Coca-Cola system for over 30 years.
Bacardi has promoted communications talent Jamie Cooper Williams as VP Brand PR & Influence; and Jessica Merz as VP Global Corporate Communications.
Following her role as Director of Global Internal Communications at Bacardi, Jamie Cooper Williams returns to Brand PR reporting to Chief Marketing Officer John Burke and as a member of the Marketing Leadership Team, where she will continue to build the company brands’ cultural capital through best-in-class storytelling and brand partnerships. This promotion follows the departure of Lisa Jedan who is leaving to another organization.
Jamie joined Bacardi in 2017, serving as the Brand PR and Influence Director for Bacardi rum and Grey Goose vodka. Reporting to Jamie is the Brand PR Team responsible for brands including Bacardi rum, Grey Goose vodka, Bombay Sapphire gin, Dewar’s Scotch Whisky, Martini vermouths and sparkling wines and others.
Jamie joined Bacardi following a career in luxury public relations including at IWC Schaffhausen and NIKE Communications agency. She was named one of PRovoke Media’s 2020 Rising Stars. Originally from Connecticut, she has a bachelor’s degree in Communications and Media Studies from Fordham University.
Jessica Merz, an 11-year veteran of the company, is promoted to Vice President Global Corporate Communications. During her time at Bacardi, she has continuously expanded her scope, starting as Director of Global Internal Communications, followed by Director of Global External Communications and, most recently, leading all corporate communications functions across internal, external, social media and the company archives.
Jessica remains responsible for the management, development and execution of the company’s narrative across internal communications, along with traditional media and digital platforms. In addition, Jessica oversees all brand archives, which protect a 160-year-legacy with more than 1,000 years of cultural patrimony within the wider museum collections. This promotion into the newly created role further elevates the work and function.
Prior to joining Bacardi in 2011, Jessica led internal communications for ADT North America, DHL Express in the US, and other global organizations. Jessica is a 2022 recipient of PRWeek Women to Watch and was previously named a PRWeek 40 Under 40 and PR News 15 to Watch. She has a M.S. in Communications Management from Syracuse University and a B.S. in Communications from the University of Miami. An advocate for community outreach, Jessica serves on the Board of Directors of Suited for Success / Dress for Success Miami.
The UK’s Wine and Spirit Trade Association has appointed a new chair, Mark Riley of Edrington UK.
Riley has worked in the premium spirits industry for 25 years and as Managing Director at Edrington UK he has led the business through significant growth and accelerated change. Prior to joining Edrington UK he held various senior sales and customer marketing roles within Beam Inc and Diageo.
Riley will be supported by Pierpaolo Petrassi MW from Waitrose, in what is a new position as deputy chair.
With almost 40 years of experience in the Wine and Spirit industry, Pierpaolo Petrassi MW – currently Head of Trading at Waitrose - became Master of Wine in 2007 and has been consistently placed top five in trade magazine polls for most influential people in wine. He previously held roles in Carnevale Group, International Wine Services, Waverley TBS (2003-2007) and Tesco.
The pair – who have 64 years’ experience in the drinks trade between them – follow Michael Saunders, CEO of Bibendum Wines’, successful three-year term as chair and 10 years on the Board.
The new chair and deputy chair will continue Saunders’ recruitment drive to ensure that the WSTA has the most diverse membership providing a strong, united voice within the trade. They will look to encourage more spirit businesses, wholesalers and independents into the fold.
As well as keeping a close eye on the traditional categories the new team will also encourage more work in the low/no sector, mixing of categories and into efforts to help guide the sector down the environmental path to Net Zero.
Brown‑Forman has appointed David Rodiek as Vice President, Managing Director, Global Travel Retail (GTR) effective June 1.
Rodiek replaces Aude Bourdier who has been named Vice President, Managing Director, Brown‑Forman France/BeLux.
Rodiek joined Brown‑Forman in 2005 and most recently served as Vice President, Managing Director, Developing Europe, where he led strategies to grow in the company’s thirty European distributor markets. Rodiek gained leadership experience in commercial and marketing roles, including General Manager Southern/Eastern Europe; General Manager South Africa; Area Director Nordic/Baltics & Nordic Travel Retail; and Brand Director Finlandia Vodka CEE, Russia, CIS & MEA.
Prior to joining Brown‑Forman, Rodiek worked in the spirits and consumer packaged goods industry at Unilever, Wella, Mars, and Bacardi. He studied in Germany and the UK, completing his education with a master’s degree in business administration from INSEEC International Business School Bordeaux, France.
Monica Berg will head up Campari Group’s globally expanded Campari Academy.
Campari Academy has created a strong local network of physical hubs in key markets around the world over the last 10 years, and the global digital expansion will now create a platform that is accessible to bartenders worldwide.
The new global version is described as a ‘first of its kind educational platform for the international bartending community, which provides a unique blend of a globally accessible digital space with an established and successful network of physical hubs for the industry to come together, taking inspiration from outside of the drinks industry to educate, connect and inspire bartenders at all levels of their career on a global scale in a way that’s never been seen before’.
As Creative Director, London-based bartender and entrepreneur Monica Berg will provide insight and knowledge to help others look at bartending as she does, including taking inspiration from a variety of sectors.
Her work includes Muyu liqueurs and critically acclaimed London bar Tayēr + Elementary with partner Alex Kratena – recently named as the second best bar in the world at The World’s 50 Best Bars 2021.
She was named as the most influential international bartender in Drink International’s Bar World 100 2021, and in 2021 won International Bartender of the Year at Spirited Awards, Tales of The Cocktail, and Bartender’s Bartender by The World’s 50 Best Bars.
She is co-founder of P(OUR), an industry non-profit and charity, which works to expand drinks knowledge across the bar community and supports communities producing regional ingredients for the drinks and food industry. She also launched BackOfHouse.Info, a free online resource for small businesses to get anonymous feedback from their teams.
Global spirits producer and distributor, Amber Beverage Group (ABG), has appointed Diageo veteran, David Tenorio, to the role of Managing Director of its tequila distillery - Amber Production Tequila.
ABG's tequila brands, which include core brands Rooster Rojo Tequila and KAH Tequila, are distributed worldwide and the aim is that tequila capacity will increase further. The company also produces other tequila brands at its Mexican production site, which is in the heart of tequila country, at the base of the Volćan de Tequila, a UNESCO-protected area.
Tenorio (pictured above) is well-versed in supply chain logistics and, specifically, tequila production. He previously worked for 10 years at Diageo, initially as Supply Sourcing Manager and going on to become Distillery Operations Director in Scotland and, most recently, Operation Readiness Director, where he was responsible for developing and launching the strategy for new operations in Mexico to expand Diageo's tequila production.
Meanwhile, Olegs Alainis, who has been with ABG since 2017, will in future be focusing his attention on ABG agave fields by becoming Managing Director of Amber Agave.
