Brown-Forman to Elevate CIO to Executive Leadership Team, Transition CFO
Brown-Forman announces its plans for the elevation of its information technology (IT) and advanced analytics senior leadership role to the executive leadership team. Effective July 2, Tim Nall, senior vice president, chief information and advanced analytics officer, will report directly to President and Chief Executive Officer, Lawson Whiting.
“In a world of rapidly changing technology and digital transformation, the inclusion of the chief information officer on the executive leadership team is a reflection of the importance this area plays in our business,” said Lawson Whiting, Brown-Forman, chief executive officer. “Tim’s knowledge of technology platforms, his digital acumen, and his leadership experience will help us to continue to stay at the forefront of information, technology, and advanced analytics capabilities and opportunities.”
Nall was named chief information officer in 2015, adding advanced analytics responsibilities in 2018. In this role, Nall sets the strategic direction for the company’s technology platforms, systems, tools, and infrastructure. He leads the IT team in creating processes to identify when and where to embrace new technology, taking into consideration how consumers are discovering, interacting with, and making decisions about our brands. Nall partners with leaders, teams, and individuals across the company to use technology to attract, empower, and connect employees, which is accentuated by the increase in employees working in virtual and hybrid work environments.
“Joining the executive leadership team will ensure information technology and advanced analytics will continue to support our corporate strategies, driving the global growth of the business, while protecting our growing digital assets,” said Tim Nall, senior vice president, chief information officer. “I look forward to continuing to focus on those technologies that significantly impact the top and bottom line of operations and, ultimately, help shape financial outcomes and engage our employees and consumers.”
This announcement comes on the heels of the spirits brand’s CFO transition. Jane Morreau, executive vice president, chief financial officer, will be leaving Brown-Forman after a nearly three-decade career at the company on July 1. Leanne Cunningham, senior vice president, shareholder relations officer, global commercial finance and financial planning and analysis, has been appointed chief financial officer, to succeed Morreau on July 2.
Morreau joined Brown-Forman in 1991 and ascended through the finance ranks in planning and analytics, corporate financial reporting, capital management, and commercial finance, eventually becoming the company’s first female controller and chief accounting officer (CAO). In 2008, she became a member of the Executive Leadership Team and, in addition to her role as CAO, also assumed responsibility for global production finance, brands and commercial finance, and information technology (IT). In 2013, Morreau assumed the role of chief production officer (CPO) and head of information technology before being promoted to chief financial officer a year later. As CFO, Morreau has spearheaded innovative capital investment strategies, resource allocation models, business transformation efforts, and implemented analytic tools and technologies that have been instrumental to achieving the company’s corporate ambitions. She leaves a legacy of furthering the globalization of Brown-Forman’s business, reshaping its portfolio of consumer brands, and developing leaders across the globe. Additionally, Morreau has been a tireless champion of the company’s environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) initiatives and a visible and vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion programs and outcomes.
Cunningham has served Brown-Forman for more than 25 years in a variety of roles. Currently, she is responsible for the strategy, direction, and oversight of financial forecasting and reporting across the global business, and for cultivating relationships with the investment community, to include its largest group of shareholders, the Brown family. She spent many years in global production operations, having served as general manager, Brown-Forman Brands, where she led teams through the acquisition and integration of The Benriach Distillery Company Limited and the establishment of the Slane and Old Forester distilleries. Cunningham held roles as director of finance and chief of staff/director of business development for Global Production, as well as roles in corporate strategy, accounting, and commercial finance functions.