Pernod Ricard has appointed leaders for its newly-formed brand units, Crystal and Gold.
Seven months ago, the brand owner confirmed to Global Drinks Intel that it was working on “an internal project aimed to create a more agile and simplified organisation …”. The restructure, which focused on administrative activities across the portfolio, split the brands into aged (Gold) and unaged (Crystal) divisions.
The Gold brand unit CEO will be Nodjame Cecile Fouad (below), the current head of Pernod Ricard’s Irish Distillers division. Fouad, who moved up from being CEO of operations in Japan to lead the Jameson-dominated unit in mid-2022, will retain her current position while also working with the group’s Chivas Brothers, Martell Mumm Perrier-Jouët and North American Distillers divisions.
Gold will also oversee the back office operations for Pernod Ricard’s champagne brands.
The Crystal brand unit, meanwhile, will be headed up by the CEO of The Absolut Company, Stéphanie Durroux (below). As head of the Swedish vodka brand since 2020, Durroux, who has been with the company since 2004, was already based in Sweden as CEO of Nordic operations, a role she filled for just over two years.
As well as all of the company’s unaged spirits, which includes its vodka, tequila & mezcal, rum, liqueurs, gin and aperitif brands, Pernod Ricard’s RTD business will also report in to Durroux.
Global Drinks Intel has requested further details from Pernod Ricard on what impact there has been on employee headcount now that the two units have commenced operations.
The company is scheduled to report its results from the three months to the end of December – the second quarter of its fiscal 2026 – on 19 February. Sales in Q1 (to the end of September) tumbled by 7.6% year-on-year.
