Debra Crew Named Diageo Chief Operating Officer; Claudia Schubert Named President, North America
Diageo announced two new executive appointments this week, effective October 1: Debra Crew as chief operating officer (COO), and Claudia Schubert as president, North America.
Crew will transition from her role as president, North America and global supply – a position she’s held since July 2020. In her time at Diageo, she “embedded greater external focus and connectivity across the market’s teams” and helped to strengthen the company’s “commercial execution,” helping Diageo gain market share, increasing organic net sales by +20% in fiscal year 2021 (FY21), and +13% in the first half of FY22, according to a press release.
Prior to Diageo, Crew spent nearly five years at PepsiCo, followed by more than three years at the tobacco manufacturer Reynolds American, where she held various executive roles, including president and CEO. Crew’s resume also includes stints at CPG giants Kraft Foods, Nestlé and Mars, Inc.
In her new role, Crew will “take accountability for driving continued performance momentum across Diageo’s markets, brands and supply operations globally,” according to the release.
Schubert, Crew’s successor, has spent more than 20 years at Diageo, most recently serving as president, U.S. spirits and Canada, since 2018. In the past four years, she has “reshaped the market’s strategy” and helped build “trusted partnerships with Diageo’s distributors,” aiding in +24% year-over-year organic net sales growth for Diageo’s U.S. spirits business in FY21, and +15% growth in the first half of FY22, according to the release. Taking over for Crew, Schubert will also join the Diageo executive committee.
“Debra and Claudia have proven track records as outstanding leaders inside and outside our company,” Ivan Menezes, Diageo CEO, said in the release. “Their appointments will ensure that we continue to adapt to the changing environment so that we can deliver our performance ambition while making a positive impact wherever we work, source and sell.”
Firestone Walker Promotes Kristen Demergian to Head of Sales
Kristen Demergian has been promoted to head of sales at Paso Robles, California-based Firestone Walker Brewing Company, effective January 2023.
Demergian has spent nearly six years at Firestone, mostly recently serving as sales director of the western division (including Firestone’s home market) and Hawaii. Prior to Firestone, she spent more than three years at Allagash Brewing Company as a New York ambassador and Washington, D.C., and Virginia territory manager, according to her LinkedIn profile.
The news comes after David Macon left the position in April, after eight years with the company. This week Jiant, a Los Angeles-based hard kombucha and hard tea maker, announced the hiring of Macon as chief sales officer.
(More to come on Jiant and Macon’s new role next week).
Firestone Walker is the country’s third-largest craft brewery by volume, as defined by the Brewers Association (BA). Last year, the company produced 528,188 barrels, a +14% increase year-over-year, according to the May/June issue of the New Brewer magazine.
Stephanie Soto Appointed Chief HR Officer at Breakthru Beverage
Stephanie J. Soto has been named Executive VP and chief human resources (HR) officer of Breakthru Beverage Group, a North American beverage wholesaler headquartered in Cicero, Illinois.
Soto has more than 25 years of experience in HR and labor management, most recently serving as senior VP of HR at Providence, Rhode Island-based United Natural Foods, according to a press release. In her new role, effective August 1, she will head the development of Breakthru’s “diverse and multifunctional human capital strategy,” including “talent management” and “labor and employee relations,” reporting to Breakthru president and CEO Tom Bené.
Soto will also lead Breakthru’s solutions team, which oversees the company’s corporate responsibility initiatives and employee engagement, according to the release. Additionally, she will work to “expand the company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion capability” “across all areas of business.”
“Stephanie is a proven leader with an impressive track record of designing and executing talent management strategies that drive organizational excellence,” Bené said in the release. “Our associates are our biggest asset and having a strong human resources leader is essential to our continued growth, both as professionals and as a company.”
Soto takes over for Ann Giambusso, who will retire in August.