Suntory Global Spirits is continuing to bet big on ready-to-drink (RTD), announcing today Carol Robert, previously COO of Suntory Beverage and Food Great Britain & Ireland (SBF GB&I), as its new managing director of U.S. RTD.
Robert replaces Heather Boyd who has been in the role since 2021 and will fill a new position at the company to be announced at a later date.
Suntory has set the ambitious goal of $3 billion in global RTD sales by 2030, supported by the company’s flagship brand, On The Rocks, and burgeoning international brands like -196. The company acquired On The Rocks three years ago— now among the top selling RTDs in the U.S.— and took a minority stake in Jennifer Lopez’s Delola early last year. Its U.S. portfolio also now includes -196, a Japanese canned chu-hi cocktail that will expand beyond its four U.S. trial markets into 15 this year, as well as Jim Beam Kentucky Coolers.
Robert oversaw the performance of two British drink brands, Lucozade and Ribena, in her previous role, and earlier this year launched -196 in the U.K.
“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 U.S. market,” Robert said in a statement. “The pace of innovation and growth in RTDs, and the size of the opportunity within the U.S. is an exciting challenge.”
Robert first joined the Great Britain & Ireland regional division, part of Suntory Beverage & Food Europe (SBFE) 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 COO.
She will now lead the company’s work to grow its existing U.S. portfolio as well as its innovation pipeline, overseeing both strategic ventures and new-to-world innovations. She’ll build on the foundation set by Boyd, who spearheaded the growth of the group’s RTD portfolio with a focus on premiumization.
“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 No. 1 RTD company in the world,” said Carlo Coppola, president of North America at Suntory Global Spirits.
In a rough year for spirits overall, the owner of Maker’s Mark and Jim Beam saw RTDs as the silver lining last year: Globally RTDs delivered around 12% sales growth, fueled by Lemon Sour, Jim Beam, Kakubin RTDs, and the global expansion of -196.