Well-versed in the liquor laws of his native Scotland and the Old World in general, Will Payne had some fast learning to do when his employer, the venerable Scottish distillers William Grant & Sons, deployed him to New York City in 2016 to be interim general counsel of their American operations. “The United States is […]
Features Beer Wine & Spirits
Mike Zitelli – Edrington Americas
He heard it from a professor of sports law while an undergrad at the State University of New York, College at Cortland. Just some simple advice that didn’t need to be embellished with any pretentious Latin. “When the door to opportunity opens, you must walk through it,” young Mike Zitelli was advised not that many […]
Truly a public house
Ten years ago, well into her tenure as chief legal counsel for Heineken USA, Julie Kinch helped launch a company-wide women’s leadership forum. What began with six people in a Chicago conference room has, in the decade since, grown to include more than 120 members from throughout Heineken’s ranks—male and female, millennials and boomers, executives […]
Marcus Reed – Craft Brew Alliance
From golden stouts to black lagers, the world of microbrews proves there’s nothing a dedicated mind can’t make real. Including, it turns out, a career as a beer lawyer. As general counsel for Craft Brew Alliance (CBA), Marcus Reed finds himself at the nexus of two longtime passions: The first, borne from an epiphany on the […]
Matt Hamel – Brown-Forman Corporation
Much like quality bourbon or a fine wine, excellence takes time—and time appears to be the special ingredient for Brown-Forman Corporation. For close to 150 years, as it has honed its iconic spirits brands, the family-controlled company has also fostered a culture that is relationship-based and consensus-driven, says Matt Hamel, Brown-Forman’s executive vice president, general […]
