Bacardi Global Travel Retail (BGTR) has announced the appointment of Vinay Golikeri as regional director Asia/Pacific. Golikeri will be based in Hong Kong and report to BGTR managing director Mike Birch.
Part of BGTR since 2011, as marketing director, he led the company’s strategic drive to premiumise its portfolio and brought to market several innovations. The company said his experience in understanding the dynamics of the region’s emerging consumer demographics would be highly valuable in the company’s further collaboration with retailers to leverage the opportunity with shoppers at the second stage of luxury.
Golikeri replaces Irving Holmes Wong who moves to a new role as Bacardi Greater China (domestic) managing director. Wong will lead the opportunity for Bacardi brands from his new base in Shanghai. He will continue to work closely with Golikeri on synergies with the global travel-retail business in his region.
Replacing Golikeri as customer marketing director, Global Travel Retail is Leila Stansfield. She joined BGTR as finance director in 2014, before which she was director, corporate strategy since joining Bacardi in 2010. Stansfield brings considerable shopper marketing experience from her earlier career as a retail and consumer specialist in the strategy consultancy arm of Price Waterhouse Coopers.
Birch commented: “Bacardi prides itself on developing its internal talent pool and I am especially pleased to have the expertise of Vinay and Leila in their new roles. Global travel-retail is a strategic shop window for the Bacardi group with strong support from our CEO Mike Dolan and I am delighted that we have his personal support and continued investments in helping us deliver our ambitions in the sector.”