Constellation Brands, Inc.
Leadership History
4 leaders · 1993 to present
Nicholas I. Fink is the CEO of Constellation Brands, in the role since 2026. The first chief executive was Richard Sands, from 1993.
| Name | Role | From | To | Years in role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas I. Fink | President and Chief Executive Officer | 2026 | Present | < 1 |
| William A. Newlands | President and Chief Executive Officer | 2019 | 2026 | 7 |
| Robert Sands | Chief Executive Officer | 2007 | 2019 | 12 |
| Richard Sands | President and CEO | 1993 | 2007 | 14 |
Constellation Brands is a Rochester, New York-based beverage alcohol company best known as the U.S. owner of Modelo Especial, Corona Extra, Pacifico and Victoria. It became a beer-led business after buying Grupo Modelo's U.S. operations in 2013 for $4.75 billion. Modelo Especial passed Bud Light in 2023 to become the top-selling beer in the U.S. by dollar sales. The company also owns premium wine and craft spirits brands and trades on the NYSE under the ticker STZ. The company is headquartered in Victor, New York.
Constellation makes money by brewing Mexican beer in its own breweries in Mexico (Nava in Coahuila and Obregón in Sonora) and selling it to independent U.S. wholesale distributors under the three-tier system. It holds perpetual, exclusive licenses to Modelo, Corona, Pacifico and Victoria in the U.S. only; Anheuser-Busch InBev owns the brands everywhere else. Beer delivered $8.315 billion of FY2026 net sales. A much smaller wine and spirits segment ($823.8 million in FY2026) sells premium labels such as Robert Mondavi Winery, Kim Crawford, The Prisoner, Ruffino, High West and Casa Noble, mostly priced at $15 and above after the 2025 sale of its mainstream wine brands.
President and Chief Executive Officer
2026 – Present
0 years (current)
Fink became President and Chief Executive Officer in April 2026 after serving as a Constellation director. His first leadership chapter begins with a beer-led company reporting $9.139 billion in FY2026 net sales and a much smaller wine and spirits portfolio.
President and Chief Executive Officer
2019 – 2026
7 years
Newlands led Constellation through a period of beer-led growth, wine and spirits restructuring, SVEDKA divestiture, and the transition toward an even more concentrated Modelo and Corona-driven portfolio.
Chief Executive Officer
2007 – 2019
12 years
Sands orchestrated the absolute most transformative deal in the company's history: the $4.75 billion acquisition of the US rights to Grupo Modelo's beer portfolio (Corona, Modelo Especial) in 2013.
As CEO from 2007 to 2019, he completely transformed Constellation from a stagnant wine company into the fastest-growing major beer supplier in the United States.
President and CEO
1993 – 2007
14 years
Sands heavily expanded the company's premium wine and spirits portfolio through aggressive acquisitions, setting the foundation for his brother Robert's massive beer expansion.
Serving as CEO from 1993 to 2007, he oversaw the aggressive consolidation of the global wine industry before transitioning to Executive Chairman.
Constellation's main challenges in 2026 are softer beer demand, tariff exposure and portfolio concentration. Modelo Especial depletions fell about 2% and Corona Extra more than 5% in Q1 fiscal 2027, offset by growth in Pacifico (+21%) and Victoria (+14%). Because every case of its beer is imported from Mexico, U.S. tariffs on Mexican goods and aluminum can packaging raise costs. Its core Hispanic consumer base has been pressured by economic and immigration-related uncertainty. The wine and spirits business shrank by about half after the 2025 divestitures, leaving the company more dependent than ever on a handful of beer brands.
Nicholas (Nick) Fink has been President and CEO since April 13, 2026. He joined the board in 2021, ran Fortune Brands Innovations for seven years, and earlier held senior roles at Suntory Global Spirits.
Bill Newlands was President and Chief Executive Officer of Constellation Brands from March 2019 until April 13, 2026, when Nick Fink succeeded him. As CEO, Newlands oversaw Modelo Especial becoming the #1 beer in America, executed the strategic divestiture of lower-tier wine brands to E. & J. Gallo, reorganized governance to eliminate dual-class stock, and delivered consistent industry-leading margins.
Before joining Constellation in 2015 as head of its beer business, Bill Newlands spent decades in the spirits and wine industry, including serving as President of North America at Beam Inc. He became President and CEO in March 2019.
Rob Sands (son of founder Marvin Sands) served as CEO of Constellation Brands from 2007 to 2019 and remains a director; the board is now led by independent chair Christopher J. Baldwin. Rob Sands orchestrated the transformative $4.75 billion acquisition of Grupo Modelo's US beer business in 2013 and guided the company's multi-billion-dollar market expansion.
Richard Sands (older son of Marvin Sands) became president in 1993, served as CEO from 1996 to 2007, and later as Chairman of the Board. Richard engineered the transition from a regional wine producer into a diversified global public company through dozens of strategic winery and spirits acquisitions.
Garth Hankinson has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Constellation Brands since January 2020, after corporate development roles at the company dating back to 2004. Hankinson oversees corporate financial strategy, investor relations, capital allocation, treasury, and long-term financial planning.
The Sands family built Constellation over nearly eight decades on values of entrepreneurship, people-first culture, long-term strategic patience, and community philanthropy, donating hundreds of millions to hospitals, education, and cultural institutions across upstate New York.
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