DRINKS firm Chivas Brothers has appointed a new chief executive in a management reshuffle.
French-born Christian Porta, head of Glenlivet owner Chivas since 2004, is moving to Paris to take the reins as head of Europe for parent company Pernod Ricard.
In a job swap Laurent Lacassagne, the current head of Pernod's European operations, is being transferred to take charge of Chivas and will be based in London.
Mr Lacassagne will report to Pernod's managing director of brands Thierry Billot, with Mr Porta reporting to Alexandre Ricard, Pernod's deputy chief executive and group chief operating officer, when the changes take place at the start of July.
The 50-year-old Mr Porta – who has overseen major investment in Chivas's Scotch whisky operations –started his career at accountancy firm Arthur Anderson before joining Pernod as an internal auditor in 1988.
He served in various finance positions before being appointed managing director of Campbell Distillers in 1998 and moving to London.
The following year he relocated to Australia to head up Orlando Wyndham then was appointed to the Chivas role in 2004.
Mr Lacassagne also joined Pernod in 1988 as an internal auditor and worked in finance roles until moving to Australia to take over from Mr Porta as head of Orlando Wyndham.
In February 2006, he was given the chief executive post for Pernod Ricard Pacific then came back to France in mid-2008 as European chief executive.
In October last year Chivas, which has its headquarters in Paisley, announced it had started the planning process for a new malt whisky distillery on the River Spey near the village of Carron which would help to increase overall output of the spirit by 10% to 15%.
That came after already committing to expanding four of its Speyside distilleries and re-opening the Glen Keith Distillery as the company tries to keep up with the growing global demand for Scotch whisky.
Across the UK, Chivas employs 1600 people and has an inventory of more than six million casks of spirit.
Its Scotch brands include Chivas Regal, Glenlivet, Ballantine's and Royal Salute with Beefeater Gin also part of its portfolio.
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