Vinarchy, the company formed last month through the merger of Accolade Wines and Pernod Ricard’s Winemakers unit, has moved to solidify its leadership, appointing a permanent CEO.
From August, the privately-owned group will be led by Danny Celoni, the current CEO of Asahi’s Carlton & United Breweries business in Australia. Celoni (below) takes over from Vinarchy chair Ben Clarke, who will return to his role having assumed the lead for Accolade Wines when Robert Foye stepped down in August last year.
Celoni’s beverage alcohol experience includes not only his time at Carlton & United, which he joined from PepsiCo in early 2022, but also almost 19 years with Diageo. Commencing his stint with the Johnnie Walker brand owner in 1995, he switched from Australia, where he had held a number of roles, to Singapore in 2006 to become Asia Pacific commercial director. Celoni ended up back in Australia in 2012, via South Korea and Thailand, spending just over a year as commercial director for Australia, New Zealand & the south Pacific before departing in 2013.
“On behalf of the board, I am delighted to welcome Danny to Vinarchy,” said Clarke. “He is a leader who champions a growth mindset and has a strong track record in driving transformational growth and category leadership through exceptional customer relationships.
“Danny is the right person to lead our business as we capture the opportunities as a global wine leader.”
Vinarchy came into being late last month, following the completion of the acquisition of the majority of Pernod Ricard’s wine assets by Accolade’s owner, Australian Wine Holdco. The group’s stable of brands encompasses four wine-producing countries – Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Spain – and is led by Campo Viejo, Hardys and Jacob’s Creek.
Pernod Ricard’s wine presence includes the likes of Kenwood and Mumm Napa Vineyards in the US, Bodega Etchart in Argentina, as well as Château Sainte Marguerite in France’s Provence region, all of which sit alongside the GH Mumm and Perrier-Jouët champagne marks.
Also today, Treasury Wine Estates announced a change of CEO, with another former Diageo executive, Sam Fischer, taking over from Tim Ford later this year.
