Cott lures Juan Figuereo from Wal-Mart to become Chief Financial Officer
Cott Corporation (NYSE:COT; TSX:BCB), the world’s largest retailer brand soft drink provider, has announced the appointment of Juan R. Figuereo as its new Chief Financial Officer.
Figuereo joins Cott on March 26, 2007 from Wal-Mart International, where he has held the position of Vice President, Mergers & Acquisitions since 2003. In this role, he provided leadership to Wal-Mart’s international growth strategy through acquisitions, partnerships and joint ventures in global markets.
Prior to joining Wal-Mart, Figuereo spent 15 years with PepsiCo in a variety of international finance and general management roles, first within the Pepsi-Cola organization and then in the Frito Lay business. He held Chief Financial Officer roles for Frito Lay in Southern Europe, and Pepsi-Cola in Brazil and Latin America. He also spent three years as Managing Director of Frito Lay Dominicana, where he was responsible for the full scope of business operations in the Caribbean.
“Juan’s extensive global experience and his hands-on leadership of financial turnarounds is a perfect fit for Cott at this stage in our Company’s evolution,” commented Brent Willis, Cott’s Chief Executive Officer. “His in-depth knowledge of the beverage industry and retail environments will be extremely valuable in driving profitability in our core North American business and his track record of global success is a great fit with our future growth opportunities. We’re extremely pleased that Juan is joining our team and I am confident that he will quickly make a significant contribution to our priorities of cost reduction, retailer partnerships, innovation and building a high-performance, winning team.”
“I also want to thank Tina Dell’Aquila for her stewardship as the Company’s interim CFO,” added Willis. “She has been an important resource and will continue to be a valuable member of Cott’s leadership team.”
Figuereo holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Public Accounting from Florida International University and he completed the Financial Management Program at the University of London in England. He is a Certified Public Accountant and fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
About Cott Corporation
Cott Corporation is one of the world’s largest non-alcoholic beverage companies and the world’s largest retailer brand soft drink provider. The Company commercializes its business in over 60 countries worldwide, with its principal markets being the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Mexico. Cott markets or supplies over 200 retailer and licensed brands, and Company-owned brands including Cott, RC, Vintage, Vess and So Clear. Its products include carbonated soft drinks, sparkling and flavored waters, energy drinks, sports drinks, juices, juice drinks and smoothies, ready-to-drink teas, and other non-carbonated beverages. The Company’s website is www.cott.com. The brand names referenced in this press release are trademarks of Cott Corporation, its affiliated companies, our customers, or other third parties.