Constellation appoints senior positions

Svedka Vodka owner Constellation Brands has announced two new leaders for its wine and spirits division.

Jim Casey has been promoted to senior vice-president and chief sales officer for the wine and spirits division and will be responsible for leading the division’s US wholesale commercial business. Casey joined the brand in 2018.

Jennifer Russell-Smith has been promoted to senior vice-president of human resources for the wine and spirits division. Russell-Smith joined the brand in 2017 with the company’s acquisition of High West Whiskey.

“Over the past several years, we have transformed our wine and spirits business into a more focused, higher-end portfolio more aligned with growing sectors of the category and fuelled by consumer preferences,” said Bill Newlands, Constellation Brands’ president and chief executive officer.

“We’ve established a solid foundation for long-term success and are now transitioning our focus towards enhancing our operational effectiveness and marketplace execution.

“Essential to our future success is continuing to invest in our leaders to further build skill sets and strategic orientation, while providing strong direction for our organisation now and in the future.”

Earlier this month, Robert Hanson, president of the company’s wine and spirits division, announced he was stepping down ahead of the release of the business’ third-quarter financial results. In the results, Constellation Brands revised its fiscal 2024 outlook for its spirits division and now expects a loss of 7% to 9%.

Constellation Brands also made a series of leadership changes across the wider company in December 2023.