It’s been a hectic 24 hours for the Australian drinks industry, with new CEOs appointed for both Endeavour Group and Australian Vintage.

The Board of Endeavour Group kicked off the day with the ASX announcement that it finally had a new CEO, ex-Virgin Australia head Jayne Hrdlicka. Read more here.

Australian Vintage followed with the news that Craig Garvin was departing, less than six months after being reinstated as CEO, and was being replaced by COO Tom Dusseldorp. Read more here.

And then this morning, Sullivan’s Cove announced the appointment of Andy Gaunt in a new CEO role. Gaunt was previously Managing Director for Fever-Tree ANZ and Asia. Read more here.

The past six months have seen a slew of drinks CEO appointments and departures.

Accolade Wines CEO Robert Foye shared a heartfelt message with the drinks industry following his last official day with the company in February. Read more here.  

Around the same time, Suntory Oceania announced the appointment of Daisuke Minato as CEO of Suntory Beverage & Food Oceania. Read more here. Meanwhile, Suntory Beverage & Food Oceania CEO Darren Fullerton announced his retirement in December 2024. Read more here.

Another wave of change swept through the drinks CEO and Managing Director ranks last year, with Campari CEO Simon Durrant, Lion’s David Smith and Chris Baddock among those who departed. Read more here.

The shake-ups come at tumultuous time for the drinks industry. Sales are down and tariff uncertainty is fanning fears of further disruption.

Proof & Company announced this week that its Australian business had entered voluntary administration, citing a local economic downturn and a changing landscape in the spirits industry. Read more here.

Prior to US President Donald Trump’s Liberation Day tariff announcement, there were already red flags. Craft breweries were entering administration at an alarming rate, while CGA by NIQ data showed on-trade spirits sales in Australia declined by 10.5% in 2024, with premium categories such as Japanese whisky and mezcal down by double digits. Read more here.

Brown‑Forman Corporation announced in January 2025 that it was restructuring its executive leadership team, cutting 12% of its global workforce and closing its cooperage. Read more here.

Campari confirmed in February that it was also restructuring and reviewing its current employee base. Read more here. Additionally, the company announced the sale of its Australian manufacturing site in March. Read more here.

However, Hrdlicka (pictured above with Endeavour Group Chair Ari Mervis) is positive about the future of Endeavour Group and drinks industry growth.

 “Endeavour Group is an extraordinary company with an unmatched portfolio of brands and assets in its core categories,” she said.

“The business has a portfolio of unrivalled positions in the Australian market, and I am very optimistic about where we can take the future.

“I know the business well from my time consulting to Woolworths and then as a non-executive director with the company for six years. I am very clear about the opportunity to significantly improve shareholder value.”