SPECIAL SECTION
WOMEN BEHIND THE BRANDS
Lift Your Spirits Bacardi Celebrates a Diverse Range of Leadership, People, and Products By Jill Dutton
Bacardi has long valued female representation in leadership roles. Its mission continues with a heavy representation of women dedicated to spearheading new opportunities and roles for diversity in the industry.
“I’ve worked hard to foster a primarily female team, and I’m incredibly proud of that." One such woman is Lisa Pfenning, Vice President of North America for BACARDI Rum. Pfenning says other women in leadership roles include Kerry Carr (SVP, Global Performance Management), Oksana Pevtsova (Regional President—Eastern Europe, Greater China, South Korea, and Japan), and Kathy Parker (Chief Marketing Officer for Patrón Tequila and Grey Goose Vodka) among other female leaders across the company. Pfenning says of her position, “I’ve worked hard to foster a primarily diverse female team, and I’m incredibly proud of that. When leaders are purposeful and choiceful in designing teams that represent inclusivity on all forms, it makes for smarter, more creative, and more fruitful business decisions all around.” These positions have historically been male-dominated fields, but the trend is shifting to more women in toptier positions in the spirits industry. “I’m especially proud to work at a company like Bacardi, where we have Belonging at Bacardi, our DE&I program, which allows every Bacardi employee to feel appreciated for who they are, what they do, and who they can become. A core pillar of Belonging at Bacardi is the Spirit Forward Summit, the annual Bacardi women’s empowerment conference, which dives into topics such as activism, gender roles, health and wellness, financial empowerment, and more.
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