Constellation Brands has appointed Sam Glaetzer as the company’s new executive vice president and president of its wine and spirits division, succeeding Robert Hanson.
Glaetzer will also serve as a member of the executive management committee at Constellation Brands, the company noted.
“Sam is a well-rounded senior leader with a wealth of experience in wine and spirits and a successful track record of driving commercial and operational efficiency and effectiveness,” stated Bill Newlands, president and chief executive officer at Constellation Brands.
Sam Glaetzer
Glaetzer boasts nearly 30 years of experience in the wine and spirits industry, joining Constellation Brands in 2014 as managing director of the company’s New Zealand and Australian operations.
In this period, Glaetzer has served in a number of leadership positions in general management, international commercial sales, supply chain operations, product quality, new product development, acquisition integrations, and divestitures.
Most recently, he was senior vice president of global operations and international sales at Constellation Brands.
Newlands added, “Now that our strategic wine and spirits brand portfolio transformation is largely complete, and as we turn our focus more squarely towards strong commercial and operational execution for this business, Sam is uniquely equipped to lead our wine and spirits division at this pivotal time as we look to deliver growth and improved profitability.”
In January of this year, the Corona beer maker's third-quarter sales fell short of market expectations, as demand for its higher-priced spirits and wines slowed down in the face of sticky inflation.
Organic net sales in its premium wines and spirits segment fell 7% in the quarter, and the company now expects the segment to see an annual drop of 7% to 9%, compared to prior expectations of a 0.5% fall.
