Pernod Ricard has appointed Laurent Lacassagne to the position of Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Chivas Brothers Ltd, and Christian Porta to the position of Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Pernod Ricard Europe in what is, essentially, a role swap.

 

As of 1 July, Laurent Lacassagne, currently Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Pernod Ricard Europe, will take up his new role as Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Chivas Brothers Ltd, usurping Porta.

 

Lacassagne, 51, is a graduate from HEC Business School (Paris). He joined the Group in 1988 as Internal Auditor at Pernod Ricard before being appointed Finance and Administration Director of Besserat de Bellefon, Cusenier, then SEGM (former name for Pernod Ricard Europe).

 

[Left: Laurent Lacassagne, the new Chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers]

 

In January 1997, he was appointed Group Finance Director, before moving to Australia in November 2003 as Chairman & CEO of Orlando Wyndham. In February 2006 he was appointed Chairman & CEO of Pernod Ricard Pacific and since July 2008 he has held the position of Chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard Europe.

 

CHRISTIAN PORTA TO HEAD UP PERNOD RICARD EUROPE

Lacassagne will report to Thierry Billot, Managing Director – Brands, and will be based in London.

 

And Porta, who is currently Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Chivas Brothers Ltd, will take up his new position of Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of Pernod Ricard Europe, replacing Lacassagne, to take effect 1 July.

 

Porta will report to Alexandre Ricard, Deputy Chief Executive Officer & Group Chief Operating Officer, and will be based in Paris.

 

[Right: Christian Porta the new Chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard Europe]

 

Porta, 50, is a graduate from ESCP Business School (Paris). After starting his career at Arthur Andersen in Audit Services for four years, he joined Pernod Ricard in 1988 as an Internal Auditor following which he became Head of Financial Services at the Holding.

 

In 1994 he was appointed Finance and Administration Director at Pernod, before moving to London in 1998 as Managing Director of Campbell Distillers. In 1999 he was appointed Chairman and CEO of Orlando Wyndham, based in Australia, before moving back to London at the beginning of 2004 as Chairman and CEO of Chivas Brothers Ltd.