KINGSTON, Jamaica — Ricardo Nuncio, the new managing director of the Jamaican brand, Red Stripe, has hit the ground running after assuming leadership of the brand at the end of November.

Over the past week, Nuncio has paid courtesy calls on minister of Finance and Planning, Dr Peter Phillips, and minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Derrick Kellier, as he familiarises himself with movers and shakers in the local beverage industry.

Nuncio says he will be meeting all the relevant ministers and other officials and beverage industry stakeholders important to the success of his brand, over the course of the next few weeks.

Red Stripe has close to 300 employees and produces one of the world’s most popular beers. Nuncio joined the Red Stripe team from Heineken Mexico — the biggest operating company of the Heineken group.

“I love the world’s greatest beer, Red Stripe,” Nuncio, an MBA graduate with a background in chemical engineering told D&G’s annual general meeting on Friday.

“I drink beer every day, but do it very responsibly. I enjoy beer. It’s the perfect way to start a conversation. As a refreshment or when you feel beaten down at the end of the day and you open a cold beer, you really enjoy it,” he said.

Nuncio was formerly a director of one of Heineken’s seven Mexican regions. As regional sales director, he was responsible for the South Region (Morelos, Guerrero, Oaxaca and Chiapas), which accounts for 6 per cent of national volume and 3 per cent of national EBIT.

He was accountable for a team of over 1,400 people across four states and 35 distribution centres. He was also responsible for implementing a recognition programme, “Meritocracy”, which aims to build a high performance culture.

In 2014 he delivered 11 per cent growth in volume, 105 per cent growth in EBIT, 28 per cent growth in Heineken brand, and gained two points of market share.

Balford Henry