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News
BUSINESS APPOINTMENTS –
“standfirst”>New boss in Bordeaux…Fell lands at SABmiller…Hpnotiq appoints basketball pro…The Saints go marching out…Other news
New boss in Bordeaux
alain vironneau will head up Bordeaux’s wine trade council, the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB), after past president, Christian Delpeuch, resigned at the end of May. Delpeuch had become frustrated by the French government and growers’ failure to address the region’s wine crisis.
Vironneau is a member of the CIVB’s committee and president of the trade association for Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur. He also manages Châteaux Majureau-Sercillan and Tarreyrots.
Vironneau’s new role as president of the CIVB will put him in charge of France’s largest wine union, with as many as 6,500 members and a E22 million budget.
It also places him at the forefront of Bordeaux’s still significant oversupply problem. Has he the strength to accelerate a programme of grubbing up wines and heal troubled relations between merchants and growers? Only time will tell.
Fell lands at SABmiller
Nick Fell is to become SABMiller’s new group marketing director. He joins the international brewer from Cadbury Schweppes where he looked after the global commercial strategy of the company. Prior to that he worked at Diageo where he was global marketing director for Guinness and global brands director for Johnnie Walker.
Fell has been brought on board at SABMiller to develop the company’s key beer brands, including Peroni, Pilsner Urquell and Miller Genuine Draft.
“I am delighted to welcome Nick to the SABMiller group,” said chief executive Graham Mackay. “He has an impressive track record in consumer marketing, having built a range of international beer and spirits brands. This experience, combined with his insight into the complexities of managing international brands in multinational businesses, will greatly benefit SABMiller.”
Fell said, “I am pleased to be joining SABMiller. It is clearly a leader in the brewing sector with a strong global footprint and some great beer brands. I look forward to working with the team and believe my experience will assist the business to deliver further growth particularly in the areas of innovation and the move to premium and international brands.”
Hpnotiq appoints basketball pro
Hpnotiq, Heaven Hill’s distinctive blue vodka, Cognac and fruit juice drink, has employed basketball player and entertainer Cory McGee to assist “with creating and hosting London party nights to establish the brand in glamorous West End clubs”, according to information released by the company. McGee, who is American, has played professional basketball all over the world and is an entertainment host.
Glen Gribbon, realisation director at Chartered Brands which distributes the brand in the UK, says, “We are thrilled that Cory has joined us as a brand ambassador. Having seen the popularity of the brand in the US, he’s perfectly positioned to seed the Hpnotiq brand in these outlets where he’s already built a reputation for providing well-organised professional parties.”
As a brand ambassador McGee will work closely with the PR agency and sales team. McGee will also be used at The Hpnotiq Clubber Tour events which will be run in key accounts across the UK.
The Saints go marching out
With the onset of summer the number of board changes has generally declined and this is also true for the drinks industry. The most notable board change in this area was the series of appointments and resignations that followed the boardroom coup at Southampton Leisure Holdings, parent of Southampton United.
These included the resignation of the chairman (Rupert Lowe) and joint MD (Andrew Cower). Lowe was formerly MD of DBMG Futures and Options Ltd and Cowen was previously employed by Morgan Grenfell. They were replaced by Kenneth Dulieu (chairman) and James Hone (CEO); Dulieu is also chairman of Capcon Holdings and a non-executive director of Vantis. Previously in his career he was a security advisor to Whitbread and Allied Breweries. Hone is a former CEO of Fulham Football Club and operations director at Celtic Football Club.
Last month’s issue discussed the upcoming departure of David Cook from the position of CEO of CHE Hotel Group. This month saw Michael Prager move from independent non-executive director to executive director of CHE, on June 19. Prager, 54, was appointed independent NED in November 2002; prior to that he served in various positions in, inter alia, Intercontinental Hotels, Six Continents, ITT Sheraton and Radisson Hotels.
There were two appointments to the board of Titan Move at the month end. Ian Franks joined the board as finance director having previously worked for Dixon Motors as financial controller and secretary as well as at Ernst & Young. In addition, Simon Dixon joined as a non-executive director. He is a past CEO of Dixon Motors and is a director of several private companies.
Other news
Constellation Brands is cutting approximately 230 Vincor jobs as it integrates the operations of the newly-acquired business around the world. Constellation said the cuts represented around 10% of the Vincor workforce.
The total integration of Vincor is expected to be complete by the end of the 2007 financial year.
Jean Coussins is leaving the Portman Group in September. The Group’s charitable arm, The Drinkaware Trust, is to be governed independently of the responsible drinking supervisory body, as reported in April’s issue of the drinks business, meaning Coussins’ role as CEO of the combined organisations disappears.
A downsized Portman Group will continue to exist.
William Grant & Sons has appointed three new people to its global marketing team. Julie Page joins the family-owned distiller as global brand director for The Balvenie, while Kate Athanasi and Eoin Cannon have both joined the company as global brand managers for Grant’s.
HBJ Wines & Spirits has recruited Graham Cox as director of national accounts. Cox was previously national account manager at Berkmann Wine Cellars. The appointment coincides with a restructure at HBJ, including a new corporate image and a revamped wine portfolio.
The former marketing manager at Liberty Wines, Sara Muirhead, has set up a PR and marketing business in the UK. Called Wineprose, it currently handles Leeuwin Estate and Inama.
© db August 2006