New Zealand’s leading wine company welcomes new managing director
Constellation Brands New Zealand, the country's leading wine exporter, is pleased to announce that Simon Towns will take the reins as President and Managing Director.
Hot Topic
Scrutiny Week
Constellation Brands New Zealand, the country’s leading wine exporter, is pleased to announce that Simon Towns will take the reins as President and Managing Director. Current President Sam Glaetzer has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Winemaking and Production in the US, where he will oversee wine and spirits production, vineyard operations, spirits operations and winemaking.
Mr Towns, an Auckland native, returns home to New Zealand after serving as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Development for Constellation in the US, and leading growth strategies for several food and beverage brands internationally.
Mr Glaetzer says both of their promotions and swapping US and New Zealand roles strengthens ties between the New Zealand business and parent company, Constellation Brands Inc.
“With the growth of our New Zealand business and our commitment to delivering quality and value in every bottle, this change will allow us to further focus our operations on safety, quality and customer care,” Mr Glaetzer says.
Prior to Constellation Brands, Mr Towns held senior leadership positions for global companies, leading initiatives such as category growth and price optimisation, as well as overseeing all aspects of the wine business from grape sourcing to sales.
Most notably, Mr Towns was Managing Director for a California-based sparkling wine company label where he was responsible for all aspects of the business, including grape sourcing, winemaking, production, and sales and marketing. Over the course of three years, he led the business to nearly double production and profit, while maintaining quality.
“I’m looking forward to returning home to New Zealand and continuing to build on the fantastic successes that Sam and his team have accomplished for Kim Crawford, Nobilo, Selaks and others,” Mr Towns says.
Mr Towns will be based in Huapai in the coming weeks, overlapping his time with Mr Glaetzer as they both transition to their newly appointed promotions.
© All content copyright NBR. Do not reproduce in any form without permission, even if you have a paid subscription.
New Zealand’s leading wine company
welcomes new managing director
57987