Brown-Forman Corporation
Leadership History
6 leaders · 1993 to present
Lawson E. Whiting is the CEO of Brown-Forman, in the role since 2019. The first chief executive was Owsley Brown II, from 1993.
| Name | Role | From | To | Years in role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Peters | Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | 2026 | Present | < 1 |
| Marshall B. Farrer | Chairman of the Board | 2025 | Present | 1 |
| Leanne Cunningham | Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | 2021 | 2026 | 5 |
| Lawson E. Whiting | President and Chief Executive Officer | 2019 | Present | 7 |
| Paul C. Varga | President and Chief Executive Officer | 2005 | 2018 | 13 |
| Owsley Brown II | Chief Executive Officer | 1993 | 2005 | 12 |
Brown-Forman is the family-controlled spirits company behind Jack Daniel's, headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Where Diageo and Pernod Ricard spread across hundreds of brands, Brown-Forman concentrates on a short list: the Jack Daniel's family, Woodford Reserve and Old Forester in American whiskey; Herradura, el Jimador and New Mix in tequila; The GlenDronach, Benriach and Glenglassaugh in Scotch; plus Diplomático, Gin Mare, Fords Gin, Chambord and Slane. That focus produces high margins and strong cash flow, and it also leaves the company exposed when American whiskey demand cools, as it has in recent years.
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
2026 – Present
0 years (current)
Peters joined from Whirlpool Corporation, where he was Executive Vice President leading enterprise transformation, and became CFO on March 31, 2026, succeeding Leanne Cunningham.
Chairman of the Board
2025 – Present
1 year (current)
A fifth-generation Brown family shareholder and director since 2016, Farrer became chairman in July 2025, the 11th Brown family member to chair the board. In 2026 he led the board through the Pernod Ricard talks, the rejection of Sazerac's proposal and the search for Whiting's successor.
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
2021 – 2026
5 years
Cunningham spent more than 30 years at Brown-Forman, became CFO in July 2021 and retired on May 1, 2026.
President and Chief Executive Officer
2019 – Present
7 years (current)
Whiting joined Brown-Forman in 1997 and became CEO on January 1, 2019, succeeding Paul Varga. His tenure covered the 2022 Jack & Coke RTD agreement with The Coca-Cola Company, the purchases of Gin Mare (2022) and Diplomático (2023), the sales of Finlandia and Sonoma-Cutrer, a January 2025 restructuring that cut about 12% of the workforce, and the 2026 Pernod Ricard talks and Sazerac rejection. The board credits him with making Woodford Reserve the leading super-premium American whiskey and tripling Old Forester's volume over a decade. On July 13, 2026 he said he will retire once a successor is appointed and then serve as an adviser for a period.
President and Chief Executive Officer
2005 – 2018
13 years
Varga led Brown-Forman from 2005 through 2018. His era included the January 2007 purchase of Casa Herradura for $776 million, the 2011 launch of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey, the 2016 purchase of The BenRiach Distillery Company and the 2016 sale of Southern Comfort and Tuaca to Sazerac. He handed over to Whiting on January 1, 2019.
Chief Executive Officer
1993 – 2005
12 years
A great-grandson of the founder, Owsley Brown II ran Brown-Forman from 1993 to 2005 and stayed on as chairman until 2007. His tenure included the 1996 launch of Woodford Reserve and the international expansion of Jack Daniel's.
Brown-Forman's challenges in 2026 are mostly about demand and structure. Developed-market spirits consumption is soft: Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey volumes fell in the U.S. in fiscal 2026 and in Germany, France and Spain in the first quarter of fiscal 2027. Tequila is the weakest category, with Herradura net sales down 9% in fiscal 2026 and 17% in the quarter to July 31, 2026. Trade policy is a live risk: most Canadian provinces pulled American-made alcohol from shelves in 2025, which hurt Jack Daniel's RTD sales there. The company is also running a CEO search announced July 13, 2026, absorbing the end of its Korbel champagne agency on June 30, 2025, and living with a January 2025 restructuring that cut about 12% of its 5,400-person workforce and closed its Louisville cooperage. Management guides fiscal 2027 organic net sales to be about flat and organic operating income to fall 3% to 5%.
Lawson Whiting became President and CEO of Brown-Forman on January 1, 2019, succeeding Paul Varga. He joined the company in 1997 and was Chief Operating Officer before taking the top job.
Yes. On July 13, 2026 Brown-Forman said Whiting will retire as President and CEO once a successor is appointed and will remain available as an adviser for a period to support the handover. He was still CEO when the company reported first-quarter fiscal 2027 results on September 2, 2026.
No successor had been named as of late September 2026. The board's Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee, chaired by Tracy Skeans, is leading a search that considers internal and external candidates.
Paul Varga was CEO of Brown-Forman from 2005 through 2018. His tenure included the $776 million Casa Herradura purchase (2007), the launch of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey (2011), the BenRiach Scotch acquisition and the sale of Southern Comfort to Sazerac (both 2016).
Owsley Brown II, a great-grandson of the founder, was CEO from 1993 to 2005 and chairman until 2007. His tenure included the 1996 launch of Woodford Reserve and the international growth of Jack Daniel's.
Marshall B. Farrer, a fifth-generation descendant of George Garvin Brown and a director since 2016, became chairman in July 2025. He is the 11th Brown family member to chair the board.
Jim Peters became Executive Vice President and CFO on March 31, 2026. He came from Whirlpool Corporation, where he led enterprise transformation, and succeeded Leanne Cunningham, who retired on May 1, 2026 after more than 30 years with the company.
Under Whiting, Brown-Forman signed the Jack & Coke RTD deal with Coca-Cola (2022), bought Gin Mare (2022) and Diplomático (2023, about $725 million), sold Finlandia to Coca-Cola HBC for $220 million and Sonoma-Cutrer to Duckhorn, restructured in January 2025, and in 2026 ended Pernod Ricard talks and rejected Sazerac.
Lawson Whiting serves as the CEO, though the company remains heavily controlled by the descendants of the founding Brown family, ensuring long-term generational strategy over short-term Wall Street demands.
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