CRISTINA DESMOND
President, Central U. S. Region, Breakthru Beverage Group
How did you first get started in the beverage alcohol industry?
After I graduated from college, I began selling advertising for a sports radio station and one of my customers was an operator for multiple bars. He mentioned that his wine and spirits territory was open and encouraged me to apply, saying I would be great in the industry. I decided to connect with the VP of the division and eventually interviewed for the role— and the rest is history.
Twenty-three years later, it is important to me that we elevate our industry with college students and recent grads, so I have been glad to support Breakthru’ s partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and other student-facing efforts. The beverage alcohol space offers meaningful work with great people and opportunities to grow in a dynamic and changing landscape, and we need fresh talent and ideas to move our industry forward.
Did you have a mentor in the industry? Have you been a mentor to others?
Over the years, many people have supported and challenged me in my development and helped shape my leadership style, teaching me both how I want to lead and how I do not want to lead. The most impactful mentor I had was a leader I worked for early in my career. As the president of my market, he was one of those leaders who inspires you to deliver at the highest level. He also saw my potential, giving me stretch projects and challenging me to think differently. He drove me crazy in the best way while
giving me opportunities for exposure across our organization. He is retired now, and when began leading my own market as Executive Vice President of Breakthru Pennsylvania in 2020, I was deliberate in thanking him for his role in my career and my life.
I have mentored others as well and hope to impact them as meaningfully as my mentor did for me— but that is their story to tell.
Do you think the beverage alcohol industry has improved as far as women and gender inclusion in the past five years?
Inclusion in our industry has definitely improved. I love to see the female regional, commercial and operational leadership at Breakthru and across the distributor tier. Our supplier partners also have strong female representation in roles of influence and leadership. Anecdotally, I recently attended an industry conference and there were lines for the women’ s restroom— a first for me! We are making progress.
Beyond gender, the key is supporting representation of varying perspectives, which bring different approaches to the business. This is critical to the evolution of our industry.
What advice do you have for other women looking to get into the beverage alcohol industry?
I have been asked a version of this question before, and much of my advice is applicable to anyone looking to succeed in our industry:
• Know who your stakeholders are and what is important to them. Bring value, build relationships and over-deliver on expectations.
• Take every opportunity that presents itself— whether that be a special project, a lateral move that will bring new experiences or a promotion. Each is an opportunity to learn, make connections and demonstrate your value and capabilities.
My advice specifically for women ultimately is to be yourself:
• Lean into your strengths. For me, that means being collaborative and bringing people together to solve problems, and I pride myself on being able to recognize when to bring others in for their perspective and expertise. Define your skills and use them to your advantage.
• Be authentic and seek real connections with others. This is a traditionally male dominated industry, but I don’ t try to fit in with the boys in a way that’ s not true to who I am.( I can talk about Philly sports but beyond that, forget about it!) I try to find common ground in topics we can all appreciate, like family, hobbies and business experience.
• Share yourself and your expertise. If you have made it into the room, use your voice and contribute to the meeting. Don’ t forget, you’ re there for a reason.
DEBORAH BRENNER
Founder and CEO, Women of the Vine & Spirits
How did you first get started in the beverage alcohol industry?
Most of my career had been spent working in the traditionally male-dominated industry of high-end technology where women had to fight adversity and conquer gender stereotypes with very few role models and male sponsors. After 20 years in the tech industry, I took a trip to Napa and Sonoma and discovered that many women in
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