Constellation Brands executive vice-president retires
Jim Bourdeau, Constellation Brands executive vice-president and chief legal officer, will be retiring on 28 February 2026 after more than 10 years with the company.
Bourdeau joined Constellation Brands as senior vice-president, general counsel and corporate development in September 2014.
During his tenure, he has overseen transformational mergers and acquisition activity and expertly managed nuanced corporate structure legal matters, and the continued evolution of the company’s strategy, production capacity expansion of its beer business operations, and brand portfolio.
He took over the role of executive vice-president from Tom Mullin in 2017.
Bill Newlands, president and CEO, Constellation Brands, said: “Jim has been a trusted advisor and integral member of Constellation’s senior leadership and executive management teams over the last decade. His extensive business knowledge, impressive legal expertise, and commitment to strong governance have guided our company through periods of growth and transformation.
“Jim’s broad strategic leadership, in addition to the leadership of our legal and public affairs teams, while navigating complex legal matters, has left a lasting impact. We thank him for his extensive contributions to our business, reaching well beyond his immediate responsibilities and wish him all the best in his retirement.”
The company has announced that Jeff LaBarge will succeed Bourdeau as executive vice-president and chief legal officer, effective 1 March 1 2026, at which point Bourdeau will transition into an executive vice-president and senior advisor role, in which he will be responsible for advising the executive management team in the development of company strategy, including the company’s long-range plan, while also working to ensure a seamless transition of his chief legal officer responsibilities to LaBarge.
Newlands added: “Jeff brings a strong balance of industry knowledge and experience in business law to this role.
“He has played key leadership roles in a number of our company’s strategic initiatives, transactions, and investments over the past several years. We are excited to welcome Jeff to our executive management team and look forward to his contributions in this new capacity and to the continued success of our legal function under his leadership.”
LaBarge said: “I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead Constellation’s legal and public affairs functions and I look forward to continuing to add value to our business, building on our strong foundation thanks to Jim’s leadership over the years.”
LaBarge joined Constellation in August 2016 as a vice-president, deputy general counsel, and has held legal leadership roles with increasing responsibility in various divisions of the company, most recently being promoted to senior vice-president, senior legal counsel in February 2025.
Before joining the company, LaBarge was an attorney and partner in the law firm of Nixon Peabody LLP from 2006 to 2016, where his practice focused on mergers and acquisitions, business transactions, and corporate law, and leading the firm’s food, beverage, and agriculture group.
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