Brown-Forman Corporation has appointed Matias Bentel as its new chief brands officer, replacing Mark McCallum, who is due toretire on 31 December 2019.
Bentel will assume his new role on 1 January 2020, the Jack Daniel's maker said.
McCallum has been a part of the company for the past 16 years, and made significant contributions in driving the company's brand-building efforts and marketing capabilities globally.
He joined the company in 2003 as the chief marketing officer and moved on to other senior roles including chief operating officer.
'A Tremendous Asset'
Brown-Forman president and chief executive officer, Lawson Whiting, commented, "Mark has a unique blend of strategic, marketing and operational talent which has been a tremendous asset to Brown-Forman."
"He has been a valued member of our executive leadership team and a steward of the growth of our company and its brands. Mark has made a positive and lasting imprint on Brown-Forman and for that we are grateful."
An Experienced Professional
Bentel is a Brown-Forman veteran, who joined the company in 2008 as the marketing director for the Latin America and Caribbean regions.
He moved on to other senior marketing roles in the Latin American region before being promoted to the position of vice-president, chief of staff in 2014, and vice-president, general manager Mexico in 2016.
Commenting on the appointment, Whiting stated, "Matias has a broad range of marketing and general management experience, and has been an active member of our company’s regional and marketing leadership teams since 2014, where he has participated in the consideration of some of the company’s most important strategic and operational topics."
'A Proven Leader'
"Those who have worked with him over the last decade know him to be a proven leader with a deeply analytical mind who has demonstrated that he is ready to take on the important responsibilities of chief brands officer for Brown-Forman," he added.
He is also an executive sponsor of COPA, Brown-Forman’s employee resource group that supports Hispanic and Latin employees.
Since 2018, he served the senior vice-president and managing director of Jack Daniel’s Family of Brands and worked closely with McCallum and the rest of the brands leadership team.
Bentel served as the marketing manager of Diageo's Latin America and Caribbean division from 2005 to 2007. Between 1997 and 2005, he held various marketing positions with Allied Domecq.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
