Composition of the executive management
Executive management
Jan Scannell (54)
Managing director
BCom, LLB
Jan joined Distillers Corporation in 1979. He was appointed a
director in 1988, and managing director in 1994. In December
2000, he was appointed managing director of Distell. Jans role
is to ensure the company delivers on its key objectives. He is
also responsible for building a high-performance culture within
the company.
Merwe Botha (52)
Financial director
BCom Hons (Taxation), BCompt Hons, CA(SA)
Merwe joined Distillers Corporation in 1980. He was appointed
financial director in 1997 and to his present position at Distell in
December 2000. He is responsible for financial planning and
control, information technology, statutory reporting and internal
auditing.
Stoffel Cronjé (51)
Company secretary and services director
MA
Stoffel joined Distillers Corporation in 1980. He was appointed
group company secretary and human resources director in
1990 and to his present position at Distell in December 2000.
He performs all statutory company secretVerdan functions and is
also responsible for the companys human resources, legal and
corporate affairs divisions and the business process
improvement office.
Smartie Genade (54)
Business director: Wine
BCom (Hons), MBA
Smartie joined Stellenbosch Farmers Winery in1972 where he
was appointed director in 1988 and managing director in 2000.
He was appointed operations director at Distell in December
2000 and to his present position in 2004. He is responsible for
the profitability and sustainability of Distells wine operations.
Hennie Heÿl (59)
Primary production director
MSc Agric
Hennie joined Distillers Corporation in 1974. He was appointed
technical director in 1988, production director in 1997 and to his
present position at Distell in December 2000. He is responsible
for our farms; grape, wine, brandy and other raw material
procurement; distillation and winemaking and blending.
Gert Loubser (57)
Quality management and research director
MSc, PhD
Gert joined Stellenbosch Farmers Winery in 1974. He was
appointed research and development director in 1994 and to
his present position at Distell in December 2000. His role is to
ensure total quality management is implemented throughout the
group and that ongoing research leads to new products and
processes.
Nantha Moodley (46)
Business director: RTDs
BA, NDip
Nantha joined Stellenbosch Farmers Winery in 1989. He has
over 15 years experience in sales, training and distribution. He
was appointed to his current position in November 2004. He is
responsible for the profitability and sustainability of Distells
business in the ready-to-drink (RTD) category.
Malcolm Searle (45)
Marketing director
BCom (Hons)
Malcolm joined Distell as marketing director in January 2004.
He has almost 20 years experience in the FMCG business, and
has worked as a marketing executive in several countries
worldwide. He is responsible for building strong brand portfolios
on market strategies that leverage consumer insights and drive
innovation.
Caroline Snyman (30)
Business director: Spirits
BEng (Chemical), MSc, PhD, CWM
Caroline joined Distell in January 2000 as technical manager:
spirits and was appointed to her current position in
November 2004. Caroline is responsible for the profitability and
sustainability of Distells spirits interests.
Tim Tarr (47)
Sales director
Tim joined Distillers Corporation in 1979. He was appointed
national sales director in 1995 and to his present position at
Distell in December 2000. His role is to ensure we retain and
improve our market leadership in South Africa, Botswana,
Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland and he oversees all our sales
forces operating in these areas.
Valerio Toros (41)
Operations director
BEng (Mech), MBA
Valerio joined Distillers Corporation in 1991 as project engineer.
After overseeing the SFW/Distillers merger, he was made group
manager of business process improvement (BPI), and then
appointed BPI director at the end of 2003. He took up his
present position in November 2004. He oversees the operations
of the group, including packaging, distribution, technical
services, procurement and supply chain management.