Former Brown-Forman chief marketing officer Kris Sirchio will take over as the new CEO of North American Breweries (NAB) next Monday, the company announced yesterday.
Sirchio will lead the company’s brewery operations, alehouses, as well as its sales and marketing efforts, NAB’s parent company Florida Ice & Farm Co (FIFCO) said in a statement. He succeeds Rich Lozyniak, who stepped down from the position at the end of March after announcing his plans to depart from the company in January. Lozyniak, the company said at the time, played a pivotal role in turning around a once struggling Genesee brand during his tenure.
Now, Sirchio will look to boost NAB’s portfolio, which also includes craft offerings like Magic Hat, Pyramid and MacTarnahan’s among other beer brands.
“Kris is a strong executive leader with globally recognized expertise in general management, marketing, brand strategy and consumer insights,” said Ram├│n Mendiola, FlFCO CEO. “He has demonstrated success in building and growing some of the world’s best companies and brands. He also has a proven track record of creating strategies that build strong teams and organizations that deliver breakthrough results. We are honored to have him help write the next chapter in the history of North American Breweries.”
NAB was formed following KPS Capital Partners’ acquisitions of the Genesee Brewery and Labatt USA back in 2009. KPS sold the company to to Florida Ice & Farm Co. for $388 million in 2012. Sirchio is the company’s second CEO.
The full press release is below:
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Florida Ice & Farm Co. (FIFCO), parent-company of North American Breweries (NAB), today announced that Kris Sirchio has been named chief executive officer of North American Breweries, effective April 14, 2014. In this role, Kris will lead all facets of NAB, including its brewery operations, alehouses, and sales and marketing efforts.
Kris has an extensive business background where he has led profit and growth across some of the world’s best and most diverse companies and brands including; Brown-Forman, Syngenta, and Procter & Gamble. Most recently, Kris served as Executive Vice President, Global Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Committee Member at Brown-Forman, a global manufacturer and marketer of premium alcoholic beverages including Jack Daniels. Prior to joining Brown-Forman, Kris worked in Switzerland for Syngenta, a world-leading multi-billion dollar agri-business where he served as a Global Business Unit leader. Kris built his early career at Procter & Gamble in Europe in Marketing where he spent 13+ years leading some of the company’s largest brands. He started his career with Ernst & Young in management consulting. Kris holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Duke University, where he was also a member of the 1986 Division 1 Men’s Soccer National Championship team, and a Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University.
“Kris is a strong executive leader with globally recognized expertise in general management, marketing, brand strategy and consumer insights,” said Ram├│n Mendiola, chief executive officer for FlFCO. “He has demonstrated success in building and growing some of the world’s best companies and brands. He also has a proven track record of creating strategies that build strong teams and organizations that deliver breakthrough results. We are honored to have him help write the next chapter in the history of North American Breweries.”
In addition to his extensive business experience, Kris has served on several national, state, and local for-profit and not-for-profit Boards. He currently serves as the Board Chair for The Nature Conservancy, Kentucky Chapter, one of the world’s leading conservation organizations. Kris and his wife Wendy are also both WE DAY Ambassadors, helping to bring an innovative service-learning movement for youth to the US.
Kris will officially start in his new role on April 14, 2014. He and his family will relocate to the Rochester area. Kris succeeds Rich Lozyniak who resigned from the company at the end of March.
About North American Breweries
North American Breweries is one of the largest beer companies in the United States. NAB brews, packages, imports, markets and sells its branded product portfolio through an independent network of wholesalers throughout the U.S. Brands include: Labatt, Genesee, Seagram’s Escapes, Magic Hat, Pyramid, the Original Honey Brown Lager, Dundee Ales & Lagers and Portland Brewing. NAB also performs contract brewing of beer and other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages on behalf of other companies. NAB is also the U.S. importer of Imperial from Costa Rica. Headquartered in Rochester, New York, NAB operates breweries and alehouses across the United States, including its flagship brewery, the Genesee Brewery in Rochester, NY, which is one of the longest continually-operating breweries in the United States For more information, please visit www.nabreweries.com.
North American Breweries is owned by FIFCO, a publicly traded Costa Rican company. The parent company produces and distributes, through its subsidiaries, food and beverages in Central America and the United States. Its headquarters are located in San José, Costa Rica, and it has operations in Guatemala and El Salvador. FIFCO has more than 2,700 products including beer, wine, spirits as well as bottled water, juices, nectars, tea, carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, milk, refried beans, tomato conserves, ketchup and bakery products.