Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits promoted Drew Vermilion to SVP of supply chain strategy and chief of staff, effective immediately, according to a company spokesperson.
Vermilion has been with the company for 19 years where he’s worked in operations, technology, and supply chain, according to an April 17 press release. Before his promotion, Vermilion was the VP of supply chain and logistics for the beverage alcohol distributor.
In his new position, he will spearhead the company’s long-term supply chain strategy which touches on all aspects of the organization.
“Drew has been a key leader in our supply chain organization, and over the last few years, he has cultivated a dynamic and high-performing team, which has been instrumental in many major projects,” Bobby Burg, SVP of operations and chief supply chain officer, said in the release. “I look forward to working closely with Drew and the entire Supply Chain Management team to further advance the progress we’ve already achieved.”
Taking over Vermilion’s previous role is Diego Fonseca. He will be responsible for leading strategy and execution for operations forecasting, replenishment, logistics, inventory optimization and supplier collaboration. Fonseca will also be responsible for the company’s subsidiary, Ankaa Global Logistics.
Fonseca has 10 years of experience with Kraft Heinz, where he served as head of digital supply chain transformation and head of supply chain execution for North America.
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits has been working to upgrade its supply chain through several initiatives. In Nov. 2023, the beverage alcohol distributor launched a subsidiary called Ankaa Global Logistics. It is a third-party logistics provider offering services such as temperature-controlled inventory storage, repacking, and labeling for beverage alcohol suppliers.
Shortly after, the company announced plans to deploy Symbotic’s AI technology and robotics warehouse automation in select distribution centers, the first of which will be implemented by 2025.
“Supply chain has been and continues to be a critical piece of our operations and supplier value proposition, and Drew has been an integral part of this effort,” Lee Hager, EVP, Secretary and Administration, said in the release.
