Robert Furniss-Roe, Regional President of North America for the company, is leaving Bacardi and will be replaced by Peter J. Carr. Carr was most recently Executive Vice President at Glazer’s Distributors.
Bacardi also announced that Derek Hopkins, who is SVP, National Sales Director for Bacardi USA, is stepping down. Rich Andrews will take over as VP Commercial for North America. From the press release regarding Peter Carr’s appointment:
Hamilton, Bermuda, August 19, 2014 — Bacardi Limited, the largest privately
held spirits company in the world, today announced Robert Furniss-Roe, 50,
has informed the Company he will be leaving to pursue other opportunities,
but has agreed to remain as an advisor to the global CEO for an extended
period of time.
The Company has named industry veteran Peter J. Carr, 48, as Regional
President of Bacardi North America, with responsibility for leading all
commercial operations in the region for its internationally-known portfolio
of premium spirits.
In this role, Mr. Carr will be a member of the Bacardi Global Leadership
Team reporting into Bacardi Limited CEO Michael J. Dolan. Mr. Carr will be
based in Coral Gables, Florida. The appointment takes effect in September.
“Pete possesses an extraordinary mix of spirits, wine, beer and
non-alcoholic beverage knowledge with a proven leadership track record of
increasing profits in the marketplace,” said Mike Dolan. “Combined with his
strong relationship and team-building skills and keen understanding of both
the supplier and wholesale sides of the industry, I’m confident he will
have a positive impact and drive results in our largest market.”
Mr. Carr has nearly 25 years of experience in the beverage industry, and
was most recently Executive Vice President for privately held Glazer’s
Distributors, one of the country’s largest distributors of wine, spirits
and malt beverages. Prior to joining Glazer’s, Mr. Carr held various senior
management roles with Diageo including President of U.S. Spirits, President
of Sales for Diageo-Guinness USA, and President of Control States.
Previously, Mr. Carr worked in the beverage industry and launched Red Bull
in the United States.
“I am personally thrilled to be joining Bacardi with its exceptional
portfolio of some of the best-selling and most iconic spirits in the
industry. There are tremendous opportunities to grow the business and value
in North America,” said Mr. Carr. “I look forward to working with the
talented team at Bacardi, the top brands, in a culture of family values and
ownership.”
Mr. Furniss-Roe joined Bacardi in 1989. During his 25-year tenure with the
Company, he held critical roles around the world, developing and expanding
the Company. In addition to serving as Regional President of North America,
his other roles included Regional President of Latin America; Vice
President and Head of Global Sales; Bacardi Limited Chief of Staff; Vice
President of Corporate Responsibility; Interim Regional President of the
Europe, Middle East & Africa Region. In all those roles, he served on the
Bacardi Global Leadership Team. Other positions he held include Area
Director for Russia/CIS/Poland; Area Director for Asia Pacific; and various
senior marketing roles in France and the United States.
During his three years leading the North America region, he led the
introduction of new trademarks including D’USSÉ™ cognac and the FACUNDO™
Rum Collection. Mr. Furniss-Roe also drove the launches of a number of
innovative brand extensions, all launched first in the U.S., including GREY
GOOSE® Cherry Noir and BACARDÍ® Pineapple Fusion – both of which have since
expanded to additional markets. On the commercial side, he led a series of
initiatives to improve performance in the all-important on-premise
business.
“We thank Robert for his extraordinary dedication to Bacardi and for
helping us build our business around the world. Under Robert’s leadership,
Bacardi saw rapid growth in Russia, expansion in South America, the
development of new markets such as India, and the launch of successful
innovations in North America,” said Mr. Dolan. “We thank Robert for his
commitment to Bacardi and the spirits industry as a whole and wish him the
very best in his next endeavor.”
