Bacardi Appoints First Female Boss To Run Its Global Travel Retail Business

World-wide spirits organization Bacardi—best identified for its white rum—is getting a reshuffle throughout some of its management roles and among the the modifications will be the appointment of the to start with lady to guide the company’s travel retail small business as global controlling director.

Leila Stansfield, now the on-trade income director for Bacardi British isles & Ireland, will acquire on the new position from January 2023. The incumbent, London-primarily based Vinay Golikeri, is shifting out of vacation retail, just after extra than a 10 years in the channel, to get on the place of controlling director for India and neighboring nations. Golikeri replaces Sanjit Singh Randhawa who will be moving to Dubai to turn into director of external affairs for Asia Middle East & Africa and worldwide travel retail.

India and the United States are the two most significant international markets for whisky—a concentration category for Bacardi. In India, the spirit will see volume development of 23{32bc5e747b31d501df756e0d52c4fc33c2ecc33869222042bcd2be76582ed298} involving 2021 and 2026 in accordance to beverages analyst IWSR.

University of Cambridge-educated Stansfield has previous—though limited-lived—experience of the journey retail channel obtaining held significant-stage roles these kinds of as finance director (from 2015 to 2016) and advertising director (from 2016 to 2017). Maybe a lot more importantly, she has had senior posts in strategy development, reporting right to the CEO of Bermuda-headquartered Bacardi, a company in which she has labored for 12 many years.

Stansfield’s broader practical experience in ahead strategic arranging will probable be pertinent to the journey retail channel as it comes out of a quite deep trough, with shakeouts and some consolidation inevitable. For example, airport retailer Dufry is merging with Autogrill, and spirits brands are scrambling for passenger attention now that journey numbers are climbing rapidly just after Covid. Stansfield stated that once back again in vacation retail following calendar year she would deliver “mutually effective tactics for growth with retail associates.”

A wine and spirits rebound

Following two many years of contraction, the liquor organization in vacation retail has witnessed a powerful rebound this calendar year for Bacardi’s rivals like Diageo, Pernod Ricard and Brown-Forman
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. Bacardi, the most significant privately help spirits company in the entire world, remains limited-lipped about its monetary efficiency but it has ramped up its airport advertising action this yr, and will proceed to do so in the coming months, in the very important operate-up to Xmas.

For example, for a few months from July to September, Bacardi ran a pop-up whisky emporium at Istanbul Airport—an progressively common site for luxury retail—in partnership with Gebr. Heinemann and joint undertaking husband or wife Unifree Obligation Absolutely free. The venue showcased makes like Dewar’s and the solitary malts Aberfeldy, Craigellachie, Glen Deveron and Royal Brackla, full with vapor infusion jars and a wax-dipping services.

“A time of transformational opportunity”

Commenting on the govt rejigs, Vijay Subramaniam, Bacardi’s regional president for Asia, Center East and Africa and for world-wide journey retail, explained: “Vinay has played a pivotal purpose in developing our worldwide vacation retail company. The past couple of years have been specially challenging for this channel, and Vinay has successfully navigated the issues of the pandemic. Leila delivers useful industrial acumen from throughout our business enterprise. This is a time of transformational possibility for worldwide journey retail… and she will increase strategic brand name-setting up and business possibilities.”

Bacardi, the most awarded rum brand, also has energy in premium gin with Bombay Sapphire
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, the quantity 1 gin in travel retail in 2021 (by value), and in tremendous-high quality vodka with the manufacturer Grey Goose, which grew by 68{32bc5e747b31d501df756e0d52c4fc33c2ecc33869222042bcd2be76582ed298} past 12 months (supply: IWSR).