Foster’s Group’s wine business, Treasury Wine Estates, has streamlined its European leadership team as it seeks to improve wine sales in its core markets.
Treasury Wine Estates has restructured its European operations into three regional business units. These cover the UK & Ireland, mainland Europe and the monopoly-run alcohol markets in the Nordic countries, the Penfolds and Wolf Blass winemaker said today (1 October).
As a result of the changes, the marketing director for Treasury Wine estates Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), Richard Trimby, will leave the business. He will be followed out of the door by Neil Barker and Stuart Pickles, the commercial directors for UK & Ireland and continental Europe respectively.
The move follows leadership changes at Foster’s wine business in North America and in Australasia over the last 18 months, in the wake of the firm’s review of its struggling wine arm.
Peter Jackson, who will remain managing director for Treasury Wine Estates EMEA, said of the latest changes: “This restructure will bring our marketing and commercial teams together into one focused business and will ensure that our customers and consumers have a dedicated approach in each of our key markets.”
Dan Townsend, formerly managing director at Maison Louis Latour and previously of Constellation Brands, will be managing director for Treasury Wine Estates in the UK & Ireland. He will join the group on 4 January.

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By GlobalDataCalum Grant-Wood will step up from his current role as regional manager for Southern Europe to become MD for continental Europe. Jonas Hillergren will head-up the Nordics business, of which he has been regional manager since 2007.
Foster’s Group is preparing to demerge Treasury Wine Estates from its Australian beer business and there has been persistent takeover speculation around the two divisions. Foster’s swung to net losses for its most recent fiscal year due to an AUD1.27bn (US$1.2bn) impairment charge on its wine arm.