MEGAN GREEN
Brand Manager 21 Seeds Tequila
Age : 26 First Industry Job : Summer internship at the headquarters of the Absolut Company in Stockholm , Sweden Favorite Drink : Ketel One Dirty Martini
In a predominantly male-dominated industry , Meghan Green is using her skills and expertise to strengthen female leadership in beverage alcohol . As the brand manager for 21 Seeds Tequila , she ’ s a true leader whose impact extends beyond her role . Green got her foot in the door while interning at Absolut and working on their digital strategy marketing team . “ The team in Sweden really took me under their wing and showed me multiple sides of the business I never would ’ ve had the chance to access otherwise ,” she says .
Climbing up the ladder in this competitive industry certainly wasn ’ t easy and Green found herself overcoming quite a few challenges along the way .
“ One of my biggest challenges has been overcoming imposter syndrome ,” she says . “ Starting in the industry at such a young age , I felt a strong need to prove my worth while also navigating the process of learning and growing in my career .”
The turning point came when she decided to channel that self-doubt into motivation . “ I pushed myself to take on as many roles as possible — sometimes juggling three at once — to gain a comprehensive understanding of the business and prove to myself that I belonged ,” she says .
Green pushes herself to succeed by following what she calls the Three “ H ” Model .
“ The three H ’ s stand for Humble , Hardworking and Hungry ,” she says . “ Everything I do rolls up into one of those three pillars . As long as I ’ m following this model , I have seen clear success throughout not only my career , but in my personal life , as well .”
EMILY PENNINGTON
COO American Craft Spirits Association
Age : 37 First Industry Job : Bartender in Austin , TX Favorite Drink : A good Paloma is appropriate for most occasions .
Emily Pennington was named COO of the American Craft Spirits Association in January 2025 . In this new position , she will lead strategic growth initiatives and address the key issues facing the craft distilling industry .
Before that , Pennington was with Park Street Companies , where she was hired to spearhead Park Street University , the alcohol importer / distributor ’ s educational platform for industry entrepreneurs and stakeholders . She was given the reigns to build the PSU platform and content strategies , which now include the Park Street Insider Podcast for drinks entrepreneurs and a daily newsletter that now has about 5,000 subscribers .
She and her team helped position Park Street as a thought leader in the beverage alcohol industry and a source for free , industry-specific education tailored towards suppliers and brand owners . Pennington also worked on the Craft Spirits Data Project — a collaboration between the American Craft Spirits Association , distiller guilds and Park Street . She assisted in the research , development and publications of the Craft Spirits Data Project that was used in lobbying efforts to lower federal excise taxes ( FETs ) permanently .
Prior to Park Street , Pennington rose through the editing ranks at
Wine & Spirits Daily to become the managing editor for the publication . Her greatest challenge ? Self-criticism . “ I ’ m my own worst critic , but I ’ ve learned that if I choose work that is meaningful and exciting , that often outweighs any doubts I have about whether I ’ m capable or not ,” says Pennington . “ Confidence usually comes after you make the hard choices , not before .”
Congratulations
RACHEL NALLY
Dir Environmental & Sustainability Heaven Hill
On behalf of Heaven Hill Brands , congratulations to Rachel Nally on being selected as a 40 Under 40 Industry Leader by Beverage Information Group ! We also extend our congratulations to all the fellow recipients . Your hard work and leadership inspire us all !
2025 BEVERAGE INFORMATION GROUP 40 UNDER 40 19