Phil Baldock Retiring as President of APSA, to be Succeeded by Chief Strategy Officer Nicholas Fink
Deerfield, Illinois, July 22, 2013 – Beam Inc. (NYSE: BEAM), a leading global premium spirits company, today announced that Nicholas Fink, the company’s chief strategy officer, will succeed Phil Baldock as president of its Asia Pacific/South America unit (APSA). Baldock plans to retire from Beam effective December 31 after 14 years with the company.
“Phil Baldock is an inventive strategist whose entrepreneurial and dynamic leadership style has achieved the very best for Beam in our second largest market. He developed our stronghold in Australia, where Jim Beam is the leading spirits brand, and enhanced our routes to market in the region’s developed and emerging markets,” said Matt Shattock, president and chief executive officer of Beam. “We certainly respect Phil’s desire to pause and spend more time with his family before tackling his next endeavor, and we wish him all the best. Nick Fink is also a gifted and dynamic leader with a unique breadth of experience that makes him the ideal successor to Phil. We have a very strong foundation in APSA, and Nick will work with the excellent commercial and marketing team we have in place to continue building our Power Brands and winning markets across the segment.”
“We’ve taken the Beam business a long way in Asia Pac over the years, always innovating and continuing to build our position in Australia, as well as opening up new frontiers across the region,” said Baldock. “I will leave with great confidence that under Nick’s leadership APSA’s best days lie ahead, and I’ll continue doing my part as a loyal brand fan.”
Fink, 38, is a 7-year veteran of Beam who served in key management, commercial, marketing and legal roles before becoming the chief strategy officer in 2012. As general manager of Beam’s Canada business from 2010 through 2011, Fink helped lead Beam Canada to a period of sustained market share gains that has continued for more than two years running. A native of South Africa, Fink received his Juris Doctor degree from Northwestern University School of Law, and his undergraduate degree from the Institut d’Etudes des Relations Internationales in Paris, France. Fink and his family will relocate to Sydney in the coming weeks.
About Beam Inc.
As one of the world’s leading premium spirits companies, Beam is Crafting the Spirits that Stir the World. Consumers from all corners of the globe call for the company’s brands, including Jim Beam Bourbon, Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Sauza Tequila, Pinnacle Vodka, Canadian Club Whisky, Courvoisier Cognac, Teacher’s Scotch Whisky, Skinnygirl Cocktails, Cruzan Rum, Hornitos Tequila, Knob Creek Bourbon, Laphroaig Scotch Whisky, Kilbeggan Irish Whiskey, Larios Gin, Whisky DYC and DeKuyper Cordials. Beam is focused on delivering superior performance with its unique combination of scale with agility and a strategy of Creating Famous Brands, Building Winning Markets and Fueling Our Growth. Beam and its 3,400 passionate associates worldwide generated 2012 sales of $2.5 billion (excluding excise taxes), volume of 38 million 9-liter equivalent cases and some of the industry’s fastest growing innovations.
Headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, Beam is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BEAM and is included in the S&P 500 Index and the MSCI World Index. For more information on Beam, its brands, and its commitment to social responsibility, please visit www.beamglobal.com and www.drinksmart.com.