Filling the new position is John Alvarado, who returns to the group after 18 years away, during which he spent 14 years at Constellation Brands and the last 22 months with soft drinks group Keurig Dr Pepper. Alvarado, who was the brand manager for Jim Beam & De Kuyper as well as manager of multicultural marketing from 2003 to 2006, will not be based at the company headquarters in New York but in Chicago.
His appointment to lead on the sales of the brand portfolio in the US comes as Beam Suntory looks to recruit “leaders who understand the special role that both our new and iconic brands play in people’s lives and American culture”, said North America president Jessica Spence.
At the same time as announcing Alvarado’s recruitment, the company confirmed the following line-up on the sales side in the US:
- Regional GM for the US Control division – Nicole Letcher, formerly senior marketing director for the US East
- Regional GM for the US East division – Bryan Dedeker, previously South-East division VP
- Regional GM for the US West division – Mike McGill, who joins from Diageo after almost 25 years
- Regional GM for the US Central region – Troy Mercer, a continuation of his current role
- GM of strategic accounts – Tara Epps, formerly VP of national accounts in the off-premise, and
- GM of market development & commercialisation – Jasprit Hanger, previously GM of the West & Control divisions
While Alvarado will report in to Spence, the six GM sit under US chief commercial officer Dave Turo.
Speaking to Global Drinks Intel last month, group CEO Greg Hughes admitted the US had proved challenging in 2023. Looking to 2024, he said of the market: “There are mixed signs on what the year ahead looks like: consumer confidence, real disposable income and real income are all strong and inflation’s moderating.”
