The head of non-beer operations at Constellation Brands is standing down next month.
Robert Hanson, who assumed the presidency of the group’s wine & spirits division in mid-2019, will leave Constellation at the end of February “to pursue [his] future career goals”. Stepping in on an interim basis will be CEO Bill Newlands during the recruitment process for a replacement.
Prior to taking on his current role, Hanson was an independent director on the multi-category group’s board for six years. Newlands credited him with “leading the charge to reposition our wine & spirits business to a higher-end portfolio of brands more aligned with consumer trends”.
Constellation added: “Under Hanson’s leadership over the past four-and-a-half years, the company’s wine & spirits division has significantly reshaped its brand portfolio through a series of divestitures of lower-end brands, several tuck-in acquisitions of higher-end fine wine and craft spirits brands, consumer-led innovation and by establishing a strong operational foundation for long-term success and more profitable growth.”
Among the deals Hanson oversaw in recent months were the divestment of its stake in Virginia’s Catoctin Creek Distilling Co in October as well as the acquisitions of a holding in alcohol-free Töst and outright control of “luxury Napa Valley wine brand” Domaine Curry.
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