Brown-Forman has announced its president and CEO Lawson Whiting is planning to retire from the US spirits giant.
In a statement, the owner of the Jack Daniel’s and Woodford Reserve brands said Whiting will leave his position once a successor has been chosen
The company’s board has started a search process for a new CEO, with external and internal candidates being considered for the role. Once a new CEO is found, Whiting will continue to support the business in an advisory role “for a period of time”, the group said. Brown-Forman chairman Marshall Farrer said Whiting has led the group “through an era of macro challenges and change”.
With Whiting at the helm, “Jack Daniel’s extended its presence into new international markets and categories, Woodford Reserve grew into the world’s leading super-premium American whiskey, and our founding brand, Old Forester, tripled in volume and increased net sales six-fold over the last decade,” Farrer added. Whiting has worked at Brown-Forman for close to 30 years. He joined the company in 1997 in corporate development and later held positions across investor relations, finance, brand strategy and regional leadership.