Brown-Forman Names Sirchio Chief Marketing Officer

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Brown-Forman announced today the appointment of John Kristin “Kris” Sirchio as its new chief marketing officer, effective November 16, 2009. As chief marketing officer, Sirchio will be a member of Brown-Forman’s senior executive team, reporting to Brown-Forman Chief Executive Officer Paul Varga and leading Brown-Forman’s marketing function, including long-term brand strategy, brand positioning and primary brand identity, consumer insights, design, innovation, and marketing services. 

Sirchio joins Brown-Forman after working the last five years at Syngenta AG, one of the world’s leading agribusinesses based in Basel, Switzerland, where his title was Global Head, Professional Products. In this role, Sirchio was responsible for setting the overall global vision, growth strategy, and operation plans for an important segment of Syngenta’s business portfolio. During his tenure there, his division delivered four consecutive years of sales growth, with a compound annual growth rate of more than 10%, transforming Professional Products into Syngenta’s highest performing organization within two years.

Previously, Sirchio spent 13 years at Procter & Gamble, serving in a variety of marketing leadership positions in the company’s European operations. During his tenure at P&G, Sirchio had a very successful consumer packaged goods marketing career, leading global, regional, and local operations across the company’s varied consumer products lines, including fabric and home care, health and beauty, and family care. He served as the top marketing executive for 11 of the company’s top 15 brands, and was highly successful with new product launches.

“Kris Sirchio is a hands-on leader with a reputation for strong brand building, marketing, innovation, and team-based success,” said Varga. “His excellent global consumer products experience at P&G, coupled with his leadership in establishing and growing significant new business opportunities at Syngenta, make Kris the right choice to become Brown-Forman’s new chief marketing officer.”

A native of New Jersey who spent his formative years in Flint, Michigan, Sirchio is a graduate of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. He received a master’s degree in business administration from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Sirchio will be based at Brown-Forman’s headquarters and he and his family will relocate to Louisville, KY from Basel, Switzerland.

Sirchio succeeds Mark McCallum as Brown-Forman’s chief marketing officer. McCallum was recently promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer of the company.

Brown-Forman Corporation is a producer and marketer of fine quality beverage alcohol brands, including Jack Daniel’s, Southern Comfort, Finlandia, Canadian Mist, Fetzer, Korbel, Gentleman Jack, el Jimador, Tequila Herradura, Sonoma-Cutrer, Chambord, Tuaca, Woodford Reserve, and Bonterra.

Important Information on Forward-Looking Statements:

This report contains statements, estimates, and projections that are "forward-looking statements" as defined under U.S. federal securities laws. Words such as "expect," "believe," "intend," "estimate," "will," "may," "anticipate," "project," and similar words identify forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date we make them. Except as required by law, we do not intend to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors (many beyond our control) that could cause our actual results to differ materially from our historical experience or from our current expectations or projections. These risks and other factors include, but are not limited to:

• deepening or expansion of the global economic downturn or turmoil in financial and equity markets (and related credit and capital market instability and illiquidity; decreased consumer and trade spending; higher unemployment; supplier, customer or consumer credit or other financial problems; inventory reductions by distributors, wholesalers, or retailers; bank failures or governmental nationalizations; etc.)
• competitors’ pricing actions (including price promotions, discounting, couponing or free goods), marketing, product introductions, or other competitive activities aimed at our brands
• trade or consumer reaction to our product line extensions or new marketing initiatives
• prolonged or deeper declines in consumer confidence or spending, whether related to global economic conditions, wars, natural disasters, pandemics (such as swine flu), terrorist attacks or other factors
• increases in tax rates (including excise, sales, corporate, individual income, dividends, capital gains), changes in tax rules (e.g., LIFO, foreign income deferral, U.S. manufacturing deduction) or accounting standards, tariffs, or other restrictions affecting beverage alcohol, and the unpredictability and suddenness with which they can occur
• trade or consumer resistance to price increases in our products
• tighter governmental restrictions on our ability to produce and market our products, including advertising and promotion
• business disruption, decline or costs related to reductions in workforce or other cost-cutting measures
• lower returns on pension assets, higher interest rates on debt, or significant changes in recent inflation rates (whether up or down)
• fluctuations in the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies, especially the euro, British pound, Australian dollar, or Polish zloty
• continued reduction of bar, restaurant, hotel and other on-premise business; consumer shifts to discount stores to buy our products; consumer shifts away from premium-priced products; decreased travel; or other price-sensitive consumer behavior
• changes in consumer preferences, societal attitudes or cultural trends that result in reduced consumption of our products
• distribution arrangement changes that affect the timing of our sales or limit our ability to market or sell our products
• adverse impacts resulting from our acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, business partnerships, or portfolio strategies
• lower profits, due to factors such as fewer used barrel sales, lower production volumes (either for our own brands or those of third parties), or cost increases in energy or raw materials, such as grapes, grain, agave, wood, glass, plastic, or closures
• climatic changes, agricultural uncertainties, our suppliers’ financial hardships or other factors that reduce the availability or quality of grapes, agave, grain, glass, closures, plastic, or wood
• negative publicity related to our company, brands, personnel, operations, business performance or prospects
• product counterfeiting, tampering, or contamination and resulting negative effects on our sales, brand equity, or corporate reputation
• adverse developments stemming from state, federal or other governmental investigations of beverage alcohol industry business, trade, or marketing practices by us, our distributors, or retailers
• impairment in the recorded value of inventory, fixed assets, goodwill or other intangibles