“Jerry is the right person to lead Cott through the completion of our refocus plan and into the future,” said David Gibbons, chairman of the board of directors.
“He has a proven track record of success in turnaround situations over his 30 years of consumer packaged goods and beverage experience, and a clear vision of how to leverage Cott’s strengths for a positive future,” he added.
“The board’s confidence in Jerry is based on his demonstrated leadership and contributions to our North American business, where we continue to make excellent progress focusing on our private label business opportunities and in strengthening our position with core retailer partners.”
Fowden joined Cott in 2007 to lead Cott’s UK business. In April 2008, he was appointed president of international, and in June 2008 was asked by David Gibbons to assist in rebuilding relationships with Cott’s customers in the US, while also taking on leadership of the Canadian business.
Prior to joining Cott, Fowden was CEO of Trader Media Group, a subsidiary of Guardian Media Group plc in the UK. In this role, he led the successful transition from a print-based media business to the most successful online classified media business in Europe.
Fowden’s beverage industry experience includes leadership in soft drink and beer companies around the world.
At AB InBev (formerly InBev), Fowden served in various positions, including global COO, CEO of Bass Brewers, and president of the European division. Prior to AB InBev, Fowden successfully led the turnaround of the Hero Group AG private label soft drinks business in the UK. Earlier in his career, Fowden worked in sales and marketing leadership positions at Mars Corporation and PepsiCo.
“I see a strong and growing role for private label in the carbonated soft drinks category now and into the future,” said Fowden. “On behalf of the global Cott team, I’d like to thank Dave Gibbons for his leadership over the past 10 months. He will remain an active chairman and trusted adviser as we continue to refocus our business and optimise our cost structure.”
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