Suntory Names Carol Robert as Managing Director, RTDs – Fred Minnick

Suntory Global Spirits announced that Carol Robert has been named Managing Director, United States RTD (Ready to Drink) Business.

“Over the last decade, Carol has been an incredible leader at Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I (SBF GB&I), driving growth across the UK and Ireland businesses,” Carlo Coppola, President of North America at Suntory Global Spirits, said in a news release. “We are thrilled to welcome her to the North America Leadership Team, leveraging her management and CPG expertise to move closer to our goal of becoming the #1 RTD company in the world.”

Robert (pictured) first joined SBF GB&I, part of Suntory Beverage & Food Europe (SBFE) which is a regional division of Japan based Suntory Group, in 2014. Serving in a variety of brand, marketing and management roles, she also spent two years running SBFE’s Belgium operations before taking on her most recent position as Chief Operating Officer for SBF GB&I. As COO, Robert oversaw the performance of two iconic British brands, Lucozade and Ribena, delivering +7.2% topline CAGR and +12.1% operating income during her tenure.

“It’s been an incredible ten years at SBF GB&I and I’m forever grateful to the outstanding people I have had the pleasure to work with along the way. It’s now time for a new adventure within the Suntory Group and I look forward to stepping into this new role in one of the industry’s most exciting categories,” Robert said. “We launched the -196 RTD brand in SBF GB&I this year so I can’t wait to take these learnings and apply them to the US market. The pace of innovation and growth in RTDs, and the size of the opportunity within the U.S. is an exciting challenge.”

Effective immediately, Robert will report to Sho Semba, CEO of Suntory RTD Company, and join both the Suntory Global Spirits North America Leadership Team and Executive Management Team. She will relocate to the company’s New York City headquarters, working closely with Coppola.

Suntory Global Spirits has set the ambitious goal of $3 billion in RTD sales by 2030, supported by the company’s successful portfolio of RTD brands including On The Rocks and -196. In 2023, RTDs were reported to be the fastest growing spirits category by revenue and analysts expect the sector to grow to $50 billion by 2030. Robert will lead the company’s work to grow its existing US portfolio as well as its innovation pipeline, overseeing both strategic ventures and new-to-world innovations.

Robert will succeed Heather Boyd, who will remain with Suntory Global Spirits in a new role to be announced at a later date and continue to serve as an impactful leader for the company. Since joining Suntory Global Spirits in 2021, Boyd has spearheaded the US RTD business, building out the portfolio and laying the foundation for its current and future success in the category.

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About Suntory Global Spirits

Known for its craftsmanship of premium whiskies, including Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark and many other brands, Suntory Global Spirits is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information, visit https://www.suntoryglobalspirits.com/.