C. Drew Desarno Email & Phone Number

Fairfield, CT, US

Greater New York City Area

Since 2007, I have conducted 200+consulting projects: Sixteen (16) legal cases as Global Beverage Expert Witness (six for plaintiffs, ten for defendants); Testified in two United States District Courts (Jury trial in SDNY and Bench trial in NDCA); Testified before three Confidential Arbitration Panels (two at the INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR DISPUTE RESOLUTION.

• Founder and leader of eight-person Marketing Department for newly formed, stand alone 50-employee company, Pernod Ricard Americas Travel Retail, driving double-digit volume growth to over 1-million cases, contributing.
• Supported President on external affairs, industry associations, training, and media communications
• Strategic marketer for all Pernod Ricard wine & spirits brands, developing and executing strategic marketing plans, targeting global international travelers

• Created marketing team for a new Global Export and Travel Retail division within Pernod Ricard USA
• Launched major strategic initiatives, including new-products and global marketing programs, executed with in-market partners, for the export product lines of Wild Turkey Bourbon, Seagram’s Gin, Seagram’s Vodka, and.
• Export territories included China and Hong Kong, Japan, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, Europe, the Americas, and Travel Retail.

Created Marketing Director position; refocusing the sales division on marketing and establishing ties to Seagram Global Marketing while creating marketing programs for all Seagram spirits & wine brands: targeting US military personnel, residents of the Caribbean, and global international travelers along the travel trail (airports, border stores, airlines.

• Created innovative marketing, featuring cutting-edge artists, designers, and celebrities, which increased sales +32% in three years (from 3.35 million to 4.44 million cases) while simultaneously unifying the ABSOLUT.
• Coordinated the design, development, and US launch of ABSOLUT MANDRIN. ABSOLUT MANDRIN sold 500,000-cases, capturing 72% market share, in the first 12 months. Recognized as most successful new product introduction in.
• Controlled $55-million annual marketing budget, directing the advertising agency, TBWA chiat/day, and three public relations agencies for general-market, ethnic, and LGBT consumers

• Led the design, development, and implementation of new ABSOLUT VODKA holiday gift packaging by Swedish artist Yrjö Edelmann, resulting in 22% sales increase versus previous year
• Drove efficiency, visibility and information transparency throughout the international marketing organization by creating the ABSOLUT VODKA Point Of Image Handbook and Global Promotional Item Catalog

• Created award-winning, breakthrough point-of-sale materials by bringing ABSOLUT VODKA’s advertising Artist Series to life at point-of-sale, using a $7-million merchandising budget
• Won Seagram Americas’ "Made it Happen" award for establishing stand-alone ABSOLUT Marketing Services Dept

• Increasingly senior Sales, Marketing, & Distributor Management positions at Seagram:State Manager - Connecticut & Rhode Island 1991 - 1994Assistant State Manager - Louisiana & Arkansas 1989 - 1991Assistant State.
• Achieved volume and profit targets by developing sales objectives, strategies, incentive programs, training programs, and pricing & discount activity for sixteen (16) independent distributor sales forces
• Created retailer and consumer On-Premise & Off-Premise promotional programs, rebates and couponing, sponsorships, public relations, and event marketing, and product sampling and training programs
• Re-opened neglected sales territories, gaining new distribution and establishing key account relationships
• Managed Federal, State, and Local Legal-Compliance within highly-regulated beverage alcohol industry

• Traveled the country with teams conducting multi-week in-market research studies for senior-management at Seagram, the US wine & spirits CPG market-leader and industry training ground

Bachelor Of Arts, Cultural Anthropology/Comparative Cultures

Activities and Societies: University Singers, Treasurer of Anthropology Club, Crosswinds (DJ for University Union), Madison House Student.

Graduate Business Courses: Marketing, Finance, Business Law, Statistical Forecasting, Hr Management