"Tom is a seasoned and thoughtful business leader perfectly suited to take the reins from Leo and lead the next chapter of growth and development at MillerCoors," said Peter H. Coors, chairman of the board [image-nocss] of Molson Coors Brewing Co. "A veteran of the U.S. and global beverage business, Tom has over two decades of experience in senior sales, marketing and general management roles. In his current role, Tom has delivered significant progress against all of our commercial goals since the launch of MillerCoors in July 2008."
Long's succession as CEO and Kiely's retirement are consistent with plans made in late 2007 when Molson Coors and SABMiller originally struck the deal to form MillerCoors with the goal of creating a stronger, more competitive U.S. brewer. The two leaders have shared duties in the office of the CEO and President since September of 2010 in preparation for this move.
"Tom brings extensive experience to the table having served previously as chief executive officer and chief marketing officer of Miller Brewing Co.," said SABMiller CEO Graham Mackay. "He is a savvy operator with a keen intellect and boundless energy. It is gratifying to see his partnership with Leo produce the kind of orderly and smooth management succession that we envisioned during the integration planning process."
Prior to joining Miller Brewing in 2005, Long spent 17 years at The Coca-Cola Co., serving in key roles including president of the company's Northwest Europe Division, global vice president and director of strategic marketing and vice president of national sales in the United States.
"I'm excited to take on the challenge of leading MillerCoors in the next phase of our journey to create America's best beer company," Long said. "I want to thank Leo for his leadership and partnership over the past three years. His wisdom, guidance and good judgment have left an indelible mark on MillerCoors and the strong foundation he has put in place will form the basis for growth and success across the MillerCoors network."
Kiely joined Coors Brewing as chief operating officer in 1993 and was instrumental in the acquisition of what is now Molson Coors UK. He led the merger of Adolph Coors Co. and Molson Inc. in 2005 and then became president and CEO of the new Molson Coors Brewing Co.
"Leo has successfully guided the integration and start up of the new company, building a rock solid foundation that positions us to achieve our long-term vision of creating America's best beer company," Coors said. "While reliably delivering our promised synergies, strengthening the core positioning of our brands and greatly increasing pricing and profitability, Leo has coached and developed a unified management team that we believe is the best in the U.S. beer business."
At the helm of MillerCoors, Kiely delivered ahead of schedule on the company's promise of $500 million in synergies and put it well on track to deliver another $250 million in additional cost savings. In 2009, MillerCoors achieved EBITA of more than $1 billion for the first time.
"It's been an honor and privilege to lead the winning team at MillerCoors," Kiely said. "I have always believed that people make it happen in the beer business and it's been a pleasure to see the passion, pride and bias for action that our folks bring to their work every day. I could not be more proud of the accomplishments we have made together as a team and I am excited that Tom will now have the opportunity to lead the company as our next CEO. It's the right time for a change, we have a great team, and Tom is the right guy for the top job."
MillerCoors is a joint venture of SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing.
SABMiller plc is one of the world's largest brewers with brewing interests and distribution agreements across six continents. The group's portfolio of brands includes premium international beers such as Pilsner Urquell, Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Miller Genuine Draft and Grolsch, as well as leading local brands such as Aguila, Castle, Miller Lite, Snow and Tyskie. SABMiller is also one of the world's largest bottlers of Coca-Cola products.
Molson Coors Brewing is one of the world's largest brewers. It brews, markets and sells a portfolio of leading premium quality brands such as Coors Light, Molson Canadian, Molson Dry, Carling, Coors Banquet and Keystone Light in North America, Europe and Asia.
MillerCoors brews, markets and sells the MillerCoors portfolio of brands in the United States and Puerto Rico. MillerCoors is the second-largest beer company in America, capturing nearly 30% of U.S. beer sales. Led by two of the best-selling beers in the industry, Miller Lite and Coors Light, MillerCoors has a broad portfolio of highly complementary brands across every major industry segment. MillerCoors brews premium beers Coors Banquet and Miller Genuine Draft, and economy brands Miller High Life and Keystone Light. The company also offers products such as MGD 64, Miller Chill and Sparks. Through its new craft and import company, Tenth & Blake, the company imports Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell and Grolsch and features craft brews from the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Co., Blue Moon Brewing Co. and the Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Co.
MillerCoors operates eight major breweries in the United States, as well as the Leinenkugel's craft brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wis., and two microbreweries, the 10th Street Brewery in Milwaukee and the Blue Moon Brewing Co. at Coors Field in Denver.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.