Deirdre Mahlan will lose the ‘interim’ tag at the wine group after holding the reins for the last six months. During the half-year, Duckhorn, which owns 11 wineries in California, Oregon and Washington state, has “conducted an internal and external leadership search and determined that Mahlan is best positioned to lead the company forward”.
Mahlan, described by Duckhorn as an “industry veteran”, started her career in beverage alcohol with Joseph E Seagrams & Sons in 1992. Following the company’s purchase by Diageo in 2001, she moved across and stayed with the group until mid-2020. Mahlan spent five years as group CFO before returning to the US as North America president in late 2015.
“Her industry track record and performance both on our board and as interim CEO make it clear that Deirdre is the ideal leader to spearhead the company’s next phase of growth,” said lead independent director – and chair of the CEO search committee – Michelle Gloekler.
Mahlan added: “Despite the external headwinds facing our industry, I have strong conviction that the company is well-positioned to leverage our industry leadership … and extensive partnerships to remain at the forefront of the luxury wine category.”
The news comes almost six months after Duckhorn announced its purchase of Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards in California from Brown-Forman in return for a 21.5% stake in the company for the Jack Daniel’s brand owner. The transaction also completed this week.
