Pete Carr Departing Bacardi After Illustrious Career

Longtime Bacardi executive Pete Carr is set to depart the family-owned drinks giant at the end of the month, capping an impressive career in which he led the company’s North America business and eventually rose to become global chief growth officer.

In a statement, Bacardi credited Carr with driving key growth initiatives during his decade-long tenure with the company, including as global growth officer, where he “led efforts to drive commercial excellence,” and as regional president of Bacardi North America, during which time “the company pioneered a new approach to the distributor model by driving the consolidation of its largest partners in order to create a stronger, more effective, and more profitable way of working.” The latter alludes to Carr’s role in forging a national distribution agreement between Bacardi and Southern Glazer’s in 2016. At the time, that national alignment was an anomaly in the business, but since then many other companies have followed the same strategy.

In an interview with SND, Carr said instilling a winning company culture while making bold moves to drive future growth—such as that initial deal with Southern Glazer’s—were among the highlights of his career with Bacardi. “You can always go find great brands—and you can find brands that are in trouble and can be fixed,” he said. “But companies are defined by their culture and their people. If you don’t have that culture and that leadership aspect, it doesn’t work. It’s about having full transparency and trust with your team.”

Injecting humor was also a hallmark of Carr’s leadership approach, exemplified by his memorable presentation at the 42nd Annual Impact Marketing Seminar in 2018, when he sparred with a puppet incarnation of M. Shanken Communications chairman Marvin R. Shanken.

Over the years, Carr’s leadership style translated into significant growth for Bacardi’s U.S. business. According to Impact Databank, Bacardi’s U.S. spirits volume stood at 14.8 million cases when Carr took the helm in 2014. By the time he was promoted to global growth officer in late 2022, it had risen to 18.3 million cases, propelled by marked expansion of brands such as Patrón—which the company fully acquired during his tenure—along with Grey Goose, Angel’s Envy, D’ussé, and Cazadores, among others.

“Pete continuously pushed boundaries in the pursuit of the success of Bacardi and our people,” said Bacardi Ltd CEO Mahesh Madhavan. “Pete championed a culture of authenticity and belief that inspired many of us as he brought incredible energy, passion, and commitment to the company every day. He leaves behind a legacy that is admired, respected, and loved by Bacardi and the industry.”

Before joining Bacardi, Carr served as executive vice president of Glazer’s Distributors and president of U.S. spirits at Diageo, among other senior executive roles. Looking forward, he intends to sit on corporate boards and pursue new projects outside the beverage alcohol sector.—Daniel Marsteller

Tagged : Bacardi

GET YOUR FIRST LOOK AT 2025 ESTIMATES AND 2030 PROJECTIONS FOR THE WINE AND SPIRITS INDUSTRIES. ORDER YOUR 2025 IMPACT DATABANK REPORTS. CLICK HERE.