Who & What --

Pernod Ricard appointed Conor McQuaid as CEO of North America (USA and Canada), succeeding Ann Mukherjee, who has decided to step down to focus her time and energy on her family’s well-being. McQuaid is a 25-year veteran of Pernod Ricard, most  recently serving as Executive Vice President Sustainability &

Ernest P. Legier, Jr., was unanimously elected President by the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators' Executive Committee.  “NCSLA is celebrating 90 years of uniting alcohol regulators and industry professionals who are committed to educating themselves on related issues and building relationships which support a healthy and safe market.

Benchmark Wine Group is pleased to announce that it has named a customer and client,  Master Sommelier Jay James, as its next President. Jay brings nearly four decades of experience in all tiers of the fine and rare wine industry. “We selected Jay based on his unique experience in service,

Napa Valley's Somerston Estate hired Judd Wallenbrock as CEO. Over four decades, he has held influential roles, including global vice president of marketing at Robert Mondavi, president of Michel-Schlumberger, and president/CEO of C. Mondavi & Family. He also founded Humanitas Wines in 2001 as a social enterprise

Arjun Dewan, executive vp-sales, Winebow Imports, will be in charge of all Winebow's sales divisions including broad market, chain retail and national accounts.  Erle Martin, executive vp-business development, will focus on growth initiatives including ecommerce and digital platforms.   As part of the realignment, Kristi Delovitch, a 14-year Winebow

Danny Wirtz has been elevated to the role of Co-Chairman of Breakthru Beverage Groupu's Board of Managers. Danny, previously Vice-Chairman, succeeds his father, the late Rocky Wirtz and will join business partner Charlie Merinoff who also serves as Co-Chairman. The growth and success of Breakthru since we founded

We've seen more than our share of farewell's, but few as classy as Terry Wheatley, who stepped down as president at Vintage Wine Estates last week. Her message on LinkedIn: Gratitude to the VWE teams for nine years of innovation and brand building. We accomplished remarkable

Crew was slated to assume the CEO role on July 1, so this move simply advances her start date a bit.  The move was necessary because Diageo's current CEO, Ivan Menezes, has suffered complications after seeking medical treatment, which included surgery for a stomach ulcer.

Distill Ventures (DV) named Heidi Dillon chief executive officer, succeeding Frank Lampen who becomes Founder and Chair.   Since 2020, Dillon has successfully led DV’s US business, and as Chief Executive, she will build on her track record, keeping DV on the leading edge of emerging drinks trends and finding