Bacardi Canada: Jeff Branson
Bacardi Canada welcomes back long-time Bacardi leader Jeff Branson as Vice President & General Manager for Canada. With 20 years of beverage industry experience, 16+ of those at Bacardi, Jeff returns to the company after two years working at Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits (SGWS) as SVP of Sales for the division dedicated to Bacardi portfolio in North America.
The transition to SGWS and return to Bacardi are part of a program between the two partner companies to accelerate talent development growth and create new leadership opportunities. Branson reports to Pete Carr, Regional President of Bacardi North America, and will return to his native country and will be based in Toronto.
Branson is responsible for the performance of Bacardi in Canada across all functions and activities to deliver the market’s annual financial and commercial plans, as well as developing strong relationships with distributor partners and key customers to expand the company’s presence and growth in the market. He first joined Bacardi in 2000, and during his time with the family-owned business, he held commercial and trade marketing roles in Canada and the US and at regional and national levels.
Branson, who grew up in Antigonish, studied Mathematics at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia and was part of the inaugural class of a Bacardi leadership program in partnership with Harvard Business School.