Bacardi and Starbucks are among the companies welcoming new faces to top jobs.
Bacardi and Starbucks are among the companies welcoming new faces to top jobs.
Legislative and regulatory affairs veteran Amy Brink has been appointed as senior vice president for external affairs for American Beverage, the non-alcoholic beverage national trade organization.
Brink joins American Beverage from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, where she served as vice president of state government affairs for an association representing the manufacturers and suppliers to the US auto industry.
In her new role, Brink will oversee state and external affairs work for the non-alcoholic beverage industry, as well as play a leadership role in issues management. She will be a senior member of the Department of Government & Public Affairs, reporting to the American Beverage’s interim president and CEO, Kevin Keane.
Prior to her work at the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, Brink worked on developing member communication initiatives at the National Retail Federation, the nation’s largest retail association. Prior to that she clerked for both the US Department of Homeland Security and the D.C. Superior Court. She is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
She received her bachelor’s degree at Michigan State University and her law degree at The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C.
Bacardi has announced the retirement of Francis Debeuckelaere, Regional President Western Europe, Australia and New Zealand (EUROC), after nearly 30 years with Bacardi. Debeuckelaere retires from his role at the end of the fiscal year on March 31, 2023, moving to a consulting capacity to support the transition and provide expertise on company initiatives.
Bacardi says Debeuckelaere’s career is a “true story of rising the ranks at Bacardi”. From his first role in 1994 as a local Marketing Director, to managing the commercial side of market clusters, to ultimately becoming a regional president. He also helped develop a global On-Trade Council to engage with key customers and markets across the world.
Following Debeuckelaere’s retirement, Ignacio “Nacho” del Valle will take on the role of Regional President, Western Europe. A 25+ year veteran of Bacardi, Nacho has been serving as Regional President of Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) for the last six years, transforming the regional business by delivering growth in key markets and leading the premiumization of several categories. As a sixth generation Bacardí family member, Nacho is a true advocate for preserving the unique company culture and driving high engagement results.
Pete Carr, who moves into the previously announced role of Global Growth Officer on April 1, will add leadership of Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) to his responsibilities. In addition to the region, Pete will lead global digital commerce, on-trade and route-to-market efforts.
Vijay Subramaniam, Regional President of AMEA and Global Travel Retail (GTR) adds Australia and New Zealand, formerly under the EUROC region, to his responsibilities.
Bacardi is promoting Stephanie Macleod, Master Blender for its portfolio of Scotch whiskies, to a newly created role as Director of Blending, Scotch Whisky – a promotion that recognizes her talent and 25 years’ experience in crafting Scotch whisky.
Macleod will continue to lead the blending legacy of Dewar’s, William Lawson’s, and the five single malts – Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Craigellachie, The Deveron and Royal Brackla – as malt master.
Her expanded remit will also see her develop the people and processes needed to continue to the premiumization of the range and help deliver on the family-owned spirits company’s ambition to be industry leaders in innovation and quality.
At the 2022 International Whisky Competition, Macleod was crowned ‘Master Blender of the Year’ for an unprecedented fourth year in a row, a feat which recognizes her world-leading expertise in the art of blending. She is only the seventh Master Blender in Dewar’s 176-year history.
Macleod became the first female Master Blender for Dewar’s in 2006, following her official three-year training with the then Master Blender. She joined Bacardi, based in Glasgow in 1998, and began her career in whisky as a Sensory Analyst at the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, working on a project which attempted to unlock the maturation secrets of Scotch whisky.
Hampton Water, the US rosé brand founded by Jesse Bongiovi and his father, Jon Bon Jovi, has appointed industry veteran, Michael Misiorski, as the company's new CEO.
With more than three decades of industry experience, Misiorski previously worked at Sagamore Spirit, Edrington, Stoli Group USA, Bacardi, and Absolut Spirits. “His experiences with establishing operations, managing reorganizations, and strong financial acumen will help drive our company to continued profitable growth,” says Hampton Water.
Outside of work, his leadership skills span throughout professional and charitable organizations. These include serving on the board of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), and volunteering for nonprofits.
Laxman Narasimhan has assumed the role of CEO of Starbucks, having been named as the successor to founder and former CEO Howard Schultz in September.
Narasimhan joined the company as incoming CEO in October, and has since been on ‘a unique immersion experience’ across stores, manufacturing plants and support centers around the world – earning his barista certification on the way.
Narasimhan has nearly 30 years of experience leading global consumer goods businesses and advising retail, grocery, restaurant and e-commerce companies. Prior to Starbucks, he served as chief executive officer of Reckitt, a multinational consumer health, hygiene and nutrition company. His experience also includes as an executive in various leadership roles at PepsiCo, including as global chief commercial officer, where he was responsible for the company’s long-term growth strategy and commercial capabilities. He also served as CEO of the company’s Latin America, Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa operations, where he ran the company’s food and beverage businesses across over 100 countries. He also spent time as CEO of PepsiCo Latin America and as the CFO of PepsiCo Americas Foods.
Prior to PepsiCo, he spent 19 years at McKinsey & Company, where he advised companies across the retail, consumer goods, and healthcare industries in the U.S., Asia, and India.