Florida Ice & Farm Co. (FIFCO), parent-company of North American Breweries (NAB), says Kris Sirchio has been named chief executive officer of North American Breweries, effective April 14, 2014. In this role, Kris will lead all facets of NAB, including its brewery operations, alehouses, and sales and marketing efforts.
Kris has an extensive business background where he has led profit and growth across some of the world's best and most diverse companies and brands including; Brown-Forman, Syngenta, and Procter & Gamble.
Most recently, Kris served as Executive Vice President, Global Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Committee Member at Brown-Forman, a global manufacturer and marketer of premium alcoholic beverages including Jack Daniels.
Prior to joining Brown-Forman, Kris worked in Switzerland for Syngenta, a world-leading multi-billion dollar agri-business where he served as a Global Business Unit leader. Kris built his early career at Procter & Gamble in Europe in Marketing where he spent 13+ years leading some of the company's largest brands. He started his career with Ernst & Young in management consulting. Kris holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science from Duke University, where he was also a member of the 1986 Division 1 Men's Soccer National Championship team, and a Master of Business Administration from Southern Methodist University.
"Kris is a strong executive leader with globally recognized expertise in general management, marketing, brand strategy and consumer insights," said Ramon Mendiola, chief executive officer for FIFCO. "He has demonstrated success in building and growing some of the world's best companies and brands. He also has a proven track record of creating strategies that build strong teams and organizations that deliver breakthrough results. We are honored to have him help write the next chapter in the history of North American Breweries."
In addition to his extensive business experience, Kris has served on several national, state, and local for-profit and not-for-profit Boards. He currently serves as the Board Chair for The Nature Conservancy, Kentucky Chapter, one of the world's leading conservation organizations. Kris and his wife Wendy are also both WE DAY Ambassadors, helping to bring an innovative service-learning movement for youth to the US.
Kris will officially start in his new role on April 14, 2014. He and his family will relocate to the Rochester area. Kris succeeds Rich Lozyniak who resigned from the company at the end of March.
