Bacardi Names New Chief Marketing Officer

Veteran spirits and beer executive Andy Gibson to hold top marketing spot

HAMILTON, Bermuda--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bacardi Limited, the largest privately-held spirits company in the world, names Andy J. Gibson, 44, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Bacardi and President of Bacardi Global Brands (BGB).

“The brands in the Bacardi portfolio are all category leaders with amazing authenticity that really connects with consumers”

In these roles, Mr. Gibson will be responsible for the overall leadership and strategic direction of the Company’s internationally known portfolio of premium spirits brands. He also will serve as a member of the Bacardi Leadership Team and report to Bacardi Limited President and Chief Executive Officer Ed Shirley. Mr. Gibson joins Bacardi in late April and will be based at the Bacardi Global Brands headquarters in London.

“Andy’s proven track record of accomplishment is based on a great marketing and brand-building foundation,” said Mr. Shirley. “His experience, depth of industry knowledge and proven leadership ability will be strong assets, as we broaden the awareness of our family of iconic Bacardi brands, further expand market opportunities and, ultimately, drive growth.”

Mr. Gibson has achieved notable success during a more than 20-year career in consumer products marketing and sales that has included assignments in Australia, Asia, the United States, Latin America and Europe. Most recently, Mr. Gibson served as Chief Marketing Officer for Carlton United Brewers (CUB), Australia’s leading brewer ─ part of Foster’s Group Limited ─ with a market share of more than 45 percent in the beer category.

At CUB, he oversaw the strategic reframing of Australia's biggest beer brand Victoria Bitter to turn a decade of decline back into growth over the first quarter of its implementation.

Before CUB, he worked for Diageo for 13 years in a series of general management and marketing leadership positions on five continents, including General Manager, Innovation, Asia Pacific; General Manager, Germany/Austria/Switzerland; Marketing Director, Australia; Senior Vice President and Global Brand Director – Rums based in North America; and Marketing Director, Mexico. Mr. Gibson began his career in 1990, working for Mars/Masterfoods in Australia/New Zealand in a range of sales and marketing positions of increasing responsibility.

“The brands in the Bacardi portfolio are all category leaders with amazing authenticity that really connects with consumers,” said Mr. Gibson. “Joining Bacardi is a brand marketer’s dream job. I look forward to engaging consumers in new brand experiences while driving the enviable Bacardi portfolio of more than 200 brands and labels to new levels of growth.”

Mr. Gibson succeeds Ms. Silvia Lagnado, who left Bacardi at the end of 2012.

NOTE: A headshot of Mr. Gibson is available via www.BacardiLimited.com and BusinessWire.

About Bacardi Limited

Bacardi Limited, the largest privately-held spirits company in the world, produces and markets internationally-recognized spirits and wines. The Bacardi brand portfolio comprises more than 200 brands and labels, including BACARDÍ® rum, the world’s best-selling and most-awarded rum, as well as the world’s most-awarded spirit; GREY GOOSE® vodka, the world’s leading super-premium vodka; DEWAR’S® Blended Scotch whisky, the world’s most awarded blended Scotch and the number-one selling premium blended Scotch whisky in the United States; BOMBAY SAPPHIRE® gin, the top-valued and fastest-growing premium gin in the world; MARTINI® vermouth and sparkling wines, the world’s leading vermouth and the world's favorite Italian sparkling wines; CAZADORES® 100% blue agave tequila, the number-one premium tequila in Mexico and a top-selling premium tequila in the United States; ERISTOFF® vodka, one of the fastest-growing vodka brands in the world; and other leading and emerging brands.

Founded more than 150 years ago in Santiago de Cuba on February 4, 1862, and family-owned for the past seven generations, Bacardi now employs nearly 6,000 people, manufactures its brands at 27 facilities in 16 markets on four continents, and sells in more than 150 countries. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited.

www.BacardiLimited.com

©2013 BACARDI

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