Gavin Hattersley, CEO and president of Molson Coors Beverage Company, has announced his retirement at the end of 2025, concluding a 28-year career in the beverage industry. Since assuming the top leadership role in 2019 (inside.beer, 31.7.2019), Hattersley has led the transformation of the Coors Light and Blue Moon maker from a traditional brewing operation into a diversified beverage company with a premium portfolio and record revenues.
Having joined the beer business in 1997 with South African Breweries, Hattersley played a central role in the creation of the MillerCoors U.S. joint venture in 2008, later becoming its first CFO and eventually CEO. Following the acquisition of MillerCoors by Molson Coors, he was appointed to lead the U.S. business unit and became CEO of Molson Coors in 2019.
Under Hattersley’s leadership, Molson Coors initiated a "revitalization plan" to return to growth, followed by an "acceleration plan" that emphasized premiumization, innovation, and diversification beyond beer. These strategic moves helped the company reduce its net debt by nearly 40% since 2019, and achieve annual revenues of USD 11.6 billion—its highest ever. The company also recorded two consecutive years of record net sales and earnings, with Q4 2024 alone generating USD 2.74 billion in revenue and USD 1.30 earnings per share, both beating market expectations.
New ventures during Hattersley’s term included partnerships with D.G. Yuengling & Son (inside.beer, 15.9.2020) and the Coca-Cola Company (inside.beer, 29.9.2020), and U.S. commercialization rights to Fever-Tree. Molson Coors also expanded into hard seltzers, spirits, ready-to-drink cocktails, and mixers. These efforts supported the company’s strategic shift from a beer company to a total beverage provider.
Despite facing challenges like tariffs under President Donald Trump’s administration and the pandemic, Molson Coors continued to outperform expectations and reclaim shelf space in a competitive U.S. market. Its share price has risen about 6% since Hattersley took over, and is currently up 5.75% year-to-date.
The company has initiated a formal search for Hattersley’s successor, considering both internal and external candidates under the guidance of its Governance Committee.
As Molson Coors prepares to report Q1 2025 earnings on April 29, attention will focus on the future direction under new leadership and whether the company can build on Hattersley’s legacy amid growing competition and evolving consumer trends.
