Constellation Brands has lined up a change of chief HR officer having “mutually agreed” to the departure of incumbent Kris Carey.
The switch of HR lead, which takes effect in May, will see Paula Erickson replace Carey, who has held the position for three years. Erickson (below) will return to the industry just over a year after leaving Suntory Global Spirits – then known as Beam Suntory – where she had been the chief people, culture & communications officer for the last 15 months of her near-16-year tenure with the group.
At the time, Erickson’s departure from Suntory Global Spirits was put down to her decision to retire.
Carey, who has been with Constellation since mid-2013, will remain with the company in an advisory capacity “for a brief period of time” following Erickson’s arrival.
“We sincerely thank Kris for the significant contributions to our business … and we wish her the very best in her new endeavours,” said CEO Bill Newlands.
“We’re excited to welcome Paula to our Constellation Brands team. Paula is a beverage alcohol industry veteran with a proven track record of helping organisations evolve their talent strategies and operating models in line with long-term business objectives. I look forward to the continued success of our Human Resources function under Paula’s leadership.”
In results for the 12 months to the end of February, announced earlier this month, Constellation posted a 2% sales rise on the corresponding period a year earlier. On the same day, the company confirmed the pending sale of a raft of wine assets to The Wine Group.




