Bacardi CMO to Leave

Bacardi's chief marketing officer, Stella David, has announced she will leave the company in July after 15 years at the spirits brand.

"For 15 years, she has been a loyal and successful executive and she will be missed. We thank her for her dedication to the Company and brands and wish her every success," said Séamus McBride, president and CEO of Bacardi Limited, in a written statement. No successor has yet been named.

David joined Bacardi in 1994 as marketing controller and then moved on to marketing director and in 1999, managing director, before becoming CMO in 2005. She is credited with, among other things, handling the U.K. launch of Bacardi Breezer in 1994.

Bacardi rum was the best-selling spirits brand of 2008 with 9.4 million cases, per Impact, New York. The brand spent $10.8 million on advertising that year. Young & Rubicam, New York, is the lead creative agency on the brand.

The statement supplied by Bacardi didn't outline where David plans to go next. "Bacardi Limited is a great company and I have thoroughly enjoyed being part of it for the last 15 years. It has great brands and great people who I will miss. I have the opportunity to consider a variety of business options, so it was the right time for me to make this decision," said David in the statement.