NAPA -- Australia-based Treasury Wine Estates, whose North Coast wine portfolio includes Beringer Vineyards, Chateau St. Jean and Stag's Leap Winery, has named Sandra LeDrew to lead its operations in North and South America.
In March, Ms. LeDrew will replace Stephen Brauer as managing director of the Napa-based Americas regional business unit. It includes the brands Beringer Vineyards, Cellar No. 8 in the northern Sonoma County community of Asti, Chateau St. Jean, Colores del Sol, Emma Pearl, Etude, Greg Norman Estates, Meridian, Santa Barbara Collection, Sbragia Family Vineyards, Sledgehammer, Souverain, St. Clement and Stags’ Leap Winery.
Mr. Brauer in October was appointed managing director of the Beringer brand business unit, working with all U.S. brands and the import Gabbiano. Both he and Ms. LeDrew report to Chief Executive Officer David Dearie.
She has more than 20 years of experience in senior wine and spirits industry executive and sales roles. Most recently, she was president of Diageo’s Catalyst business unit. Before that, she was president of U.S. wine sales for Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, whose California and North Coast wines include Beaulieu Vineyard, Sterling Vineyards, Rosenblum Cellars, Chalone Vineyard and Acacia Vineyard.
Her appointment was announced today along with that of another new member of the executive leadership team: Chris Flaherty as managing director of the Australia and New Zealand unit.
"In these critical roles leading our two largest regions, Chris and Sandra will ultimately be responsible for delivering profitable growth in these markets and leading their teams to deliver flawless execution of our plans," said Mr. Dearie.
Treasury Wine Estates' new global structure follows Foster's Group's demerger last year of the fine wine business as Treasury Wine Estates and the spirits, cider and beer business as Carlton & United Breweries. The organizational changes support the goal of putting equal emphasis on brands, supply and growth in opportunities in the operating regions that optimize returns, Mr. Dearie said.
Also part of the new organization of the wine business were a 5 percent companywide workforce reduction announced late last month. Included in that were 30 job cuts in the Americas office in south Napa. In 2009, Foster's trimmed about 300 from wine operations companywide.
The Americas unit has 1,152 employees in the U.S. and Canada and 816 in Napa and Sonoma counties. Americas case production was the equivalent of 15.9 million 9-liter cases in fiscal 2011.
Treasury Wine Estates controls more than over 11,000 hectares (about 27,000 acres) of vineyards, has sales totaling of more than 33 million cases of wine annually and yearly revenues of about A$1.8 billion. The company employs more than 4,000 in 12 countries.
In April 2009, Mr. Brauer returned to the North Coast as the new managing director of the Foster's Group's Napa-based Americas unit. He replaced Scott Weiss, who Foster's removed from the position the month before. Before Foster's, Mr. Brauer was vice president and general manager of the New York-based U.S. marketing arm of French alcoholic beverage giant Pernod Ricard, which owns Mumm Napa, starting in 2006.