Dominique Hériard Dubreuil - CEO, Rémy-Cointreau, France
2002 President, International Wine and Spirit Competition
"I hope that my Presidency will bring more attention to the quality of Premium Spirits. I would like the consumer to feel at ease when judging the quality of a spirit, something that they do so freely nowadays with wine. We aim to make life a lot easier for the drinks consumer."
Dominique Hériard Dubreuil was recently named one of the 15 "Most Influential Businesswomen in Europe" by the Wall Street Journal. Dominique took over as Chairman of Rémy Cointreau, her family's company, in 1998. In recent years the family have improved distribution through a key joint-venture with Highland Distillers, Jim Beam Brands and Vin & Sprit. Furthermore successfully increased the brand campaigns of Rémy Martin, Cointreau liqueur and Piper-Heidsieck Champagne and acquired Bols Royal Distilleries of the Netherlands to reduce Rémy Cointreau's reliance on Cognac. Consequently, net ordinary profit per share increased 12.3% with a turnover of e1,020 M + 10% on fiscal year 2001/2002.
Previous to joining the family business, Hériard Dubreuil, 55, spent 20 years advising corporate clients at companies such as Hill & Knowlton, Havas, Ogilvy & Mather and McCann Ericsson.
So why has one of the Wall Street Journal's "Pioneers in Their Ascent" turned her attention to The International Wine and Spirit Competition? Hériard Dubreuil explains, "If my global business experience has taught me anything, it is simple, you can fool a consumer once, but not twice. If the quality is not there, the consumer will not come back. In the wine and spirit industry, producing the highest quality should be everyone's goal. The Competition rewards those who strive to produce the best quality, and this is why I agreed to be its President for 2002."