Mark Anthony Group names first new CEO in 50 years
Phil Rosse will become the second person to hold the CEO position at Mark Anthony Group since the company’s founding in 1972.
Headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, Mark Anthony Group is known for brands such as White Claw Hard Seltzer, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, and Canadian whisky Bearface.
Rosse, who is currently vice-chairman of Mark Anthony Group, will take over the CEO role from founder and chairman Anthony von Mandl on 1 January 2026.
Von Mandl announced the CEO transition in an email to staff this week.
He said: “I think of this as the moment to ‘re-found’ Mark Anthony, bring renewed action-driven purpose and drive to our company. It was essential to hand the baton over to ‘one of our own’, someone who lives and breathes our values, culture and purpose.”
Rosse has worked in the alcohol industry for 28 years, including a decade at Anheuser-Busch InBev. Now in his 18th year at Mark Anthony Group, Rosse previously led the group’s Canadian business before relocating to Chicago to take on the role of president of Mark Anthony Brands.
‘Widely respected leader’
“Phil’s track record of success has been substantial, with our US business contribution being 15x greater than when he took the helm,” Von Mandl noted. “We have just celebrated a major milestone in America, having now sold one billion cases since our launch of Mike’s Hard Lemonade in New England on April Fools’ Day in 1999, 85% of those cases have been sold since Phil took leadership of the US business 13 years ago.
“Phil is a widely respected leader in our company and throughout the industry for his ability to build high-performing teams, and for his courage and decisiveness to make bold decisions, always moving with incredible pace.”
Von Mandl described Rosse as the “right person” for the role due to his “deep understanding, appreciation and respect for what makes Mark Anthony a special place”.
“He will protect and value our heritage while taking us into our future, pursuing our ambition to create the highest-performing organisation in the drinks business and one that remains positioned to win for the long term,” he added.
Von Mandl founded the business in 1972, when it started off as a wine import company. Since then, the firm has created ready-to-drink (RTD) brands White Claw and Mike’s Hard Lemonade, and expanded its portfolio with the purchase of Irish whiskey and gin maker Glendalough in 2019.
The business has a significant footprint in North America, where it operates several production sites in the US, as well as a global innovation, sales and marketing office in Dublin, Ireland.
Speaking about the opportunities for the company, Von Mandl told employees that the group has “only a 1% share of the global beverage alcohol market”.
He also highlighted the consumer demand for “pre-mixed healthier options” and said the group has the “world’s most advanced RTD production productions”.
Von Mandl continued: “With a razor-focused strategy, great execution at all levels, and relentless determination there is no reason we cannot more than double our business globally.”
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