Darcy Traer
Executive Vice President, Sales, United, Illinois
An established leader in the Beverage Alcohol industry, Darcy joined Breakthru Beverage Group as the Canadian Vice President of Sales & Trade Development in July of 2018. In this capacity, he was responsible for the implementation and execution of sales strategies across the country in collaboration with our supplier partners. In October 2020, Darcy was appointed Executive Vice President of BBG Canada and is accountable for the organization's operations within the Market.
Prior to joining BBG, Darcy spent the previous 10+ years in progressive leadership roles at Diageo Canada, culminating his time at the company as Commercial Director. In this capacity Darcy oversaw the Business Analytics, Customer Marketing and Category Development teams, tasked with creating an execution strategy to consistently outpace the competition while premiumizing the company's portfolio. Darcy began his career with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) in Toronto as an Account Executive in 2006.
Lorraine Ventresca
Vice President Sales, Canada
Leading the Canadian Sales Team is Lorraine Ventresca, formerly the Regional Vice President of Sales, Ontario, and National Trade Director for Breakthru Beverage Canada. Previous to her roles within Breakthru Beverage Canada Lorraine held various positions at Diageo Canada. During her 18 years tenure she led various teams in her capacity as Director, Sales Capability and Development, Director Customer Marketing, Director Pricing and Category Management. Her broad cross functional knowledge makes Lorraine well equipped to manage and lead the Canadian Sales team.
Renee-Claude Boily
Regional Vice President (East)
Joining Breakthru in 2019, Renee-Claude leads the Eastern Region of Canada, including Quebec & the Atlantic provinces. She has been in the sales business for over 30 years, with 16 of those years in the wine & spirits business. With over 20 years’ experience in various management positions, she values respect, trust, mutual aid, and openness. In addition to achieving the company’s financial objectives, she is proud to contribute to the professional development and career advancement of her team. “Alone we go fast, but as a team we go far.” Renee-Claude hails from a small French-speaking region in Quebec and has overcome the challenge of working in a dual-lingo environment, so she can now confidently present in both English and French.
Jay Osier
Regional Vice President (West)
Jay is a determined leader with over 15 years of beverage alcohol experience who is passionate about working with his team to solve problems and influence people.
Prior to joining us in 2014, he held various commercial roles with Anheuser-Busch InBev and Modelo Molson Imports.
Jay holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Victoria.
Sam David
Executive Vice President
Responsible for all aspects of the Canadian market is Sam David, who previously held the role of Vice President of Finance for Breakthru Beverage Canada. He has vast experience in the Canadian market and has been a part of the Canadian executive leadership team for eight years. As the Vice President of Finance, he provided insights and recommendations for strategic decision making and partnered with executive leadership to deliver overall business performance. Prior to joining Breakthru, Sam served in progressive leadership roles with Diageo Canada and as Recipe Unlimited.
Kermit Grant
Vice President, Human Resources
Leading the Company’s people agenda, Kermit is a seasoned Human Resource Professional with over 18 years HR experience . He joined the Breakthru Beverage team from Diageo Canada where he provided HR Business Partner services for the sales and marketing team across the country.
Ian Buchanan
Senior Director of Business Analytics
Ian Buchanan joined Breakthru Beverage after his successful tenure at Brown-Forman Canada as their commercial business manager. He has already built a long career in the alcohol industry, having served in various positions for more than 12 years at Corby Distilleries, including commercial insights manager and manager of business analysis. His strong passion for analytics and solid experience as a commercial leader make him an invaluable part of the culture at Breakthru Beverage Canada. Outside of the office, Buchanan is an active volleyball player and an avid runner who has completed four marathons.
Ryan Hannah
Vice President, Wine & Craft Spirits
Wesley Kwong
Senior Director of LL&S
Leading the Learning, Leadership and Sales Solution department is Wesley Kwong. Previous to joining Breakthru Beverage Canada, he held various positions at E&J Gallo Winery Canada Ltd. During his 11 years in the industry he has led numerous teams in a variety of roles, while managing the Barefoot Wine & Bubbly brands across Canada. His broad experience working cross functionally with internal and external stakeholders across a global organization makes him well equipped to lead the Learning, Leadership and Sales Solution team in Canada.