Stella David joins the board at Bacardi

Bacardi chairman, Facundo Bacardi, has announced the appoitment of a new director to serve on the 16 member board of the world's largest privately held spirits company. Stella David, previously of William Grant & Sons was elected on June 23, 2016 at the company's Annual General Meeting in Hamilton Bermuda.

Facundo Bacardi, great-great grandson of the company’s founder and a fifth generation Bacardi family member, says: “Stella brings further expertise in the management and marketing of global spirits brands to the Bacardi board. We are thrilled to have her back with us as her nearly 25 years of spirits industry experience with both Bacardi and William Grant will serve us well as we continue to grow and innovate. This appointment continues to reflect the company’s strong commitment to corporate governance within the spirits industry.”

Stella David, 53, was the chief executive officer at William Grant & Sons from 2009 until February 2016, with responsibility for the growth of the business, with a focus on building brands, global expansion into new markets, as well as acquisitions and innovations. Under her leadership, the company acquired Tullamore DEW Irish whiskey and Drambuie liqueur.

From 1994 to 2009, Stella worked for Bacardi where she held a variety of key positions, including chief executive officer of the UK, Irish, Dutch and African business; vice president global operations; managing director Asia Pacific; and global chief marketing officer. Under her leadership, the Bacardi company in the UK finished in the top 10 of The Sunday Times '100 Best Companies to Work For' five years in a row, earning her a life-time achievement award.

Previously, Stella served as the UK marketing controller at Golden Wonder/Homepride Foods and before that began her marketing career with Thorn EMI. She served for seven years on the board of Nationwide Building Society, and is currently an independent director of C&J Clark and HomeServe. Additionally, she served as chairwoman of the Remuneration Committee for Nationwide Building Society for five years and currently holds that position with HomeServe. Stella holds an engineering degree from Cambridge University and resides near London, England.

Elected in 2012, Georgia Garinois-Melenikiotou, executive vice president of Corporate Marketing at Estée Lauder Companies is retiring from the board after a distinguished period of service to the company and its shareholders. Facundo Bacardi adds: “We are thankful to have had Georgia serve on our board, and are grateful for her many contributions and the positive impact she has made on the company."

4 July 2016 - Rebecca Sterritt Paragraph Publishing, content manager