Spirits company Beam Suntory has confirmed the appointment of Carlo Coppola as president of North America. Coppola succeeds Jessica Spence in the role.

 

Coppola’s most recent role saw him as president of American whiskey and Tequila, in which he oversaw profit and loss for Beam Suntory’s priority bourbon brands and Tequila portfolio. Over his career at the company, Coppola has also served as managing director of James B Beam Distilling Company brand house and US chief commercial officer.

 

Reflecting on his appointment, Coppola said: “I’m looking forward to returning to the North America market team. We have a strong foundation in place, and we are only just getting started on realizing the full potential of our portfolio in this region.”

 

Greg Hughes, president and CEO, added: “With a career spanning across US commercial, finance and global brands over the past 20-plus years, Carlo brings strong commercial acumen, in-depth customer and consumer knowledge, and deep understanding and passion for our brands and people to our largest market.”

 

Beam Suntory recently saw success for its WhiskHy project, under which it proved that hydrogen can be used to power direct-fired stills.