Lawson E. Whiting
Chief Executive Officer
2010 – Present
16 years (current)
Legacy
Lawson E. Whiting leads Brown-Forman as it executes against the priorities reflected in the FY2026 update: Brown-Forman is leaning on Jack Daniel's, Woodford Reserve, tequila, ready-to-drink products, emerging markets, distributor changes, and cost restructuring to navigate weak spirits demand. He became CEO in 2019 after rising through Brown-Forman's finance and international divisions over more than two decades, and has overseen the company's Jack Daniel's-led portfolio through a period of declining US spirits consumption, leading a significant workforce restructuring and cost-cutting program to protect margins amid softer demand. He has also had to manage the impact of newly imposed tariffs on American whiskey exports to key international markets, an unpredictable trade-policy headwind that has periodically weighed on Jack Daniel's international sales volumes during his tenure.