Caesars Entertainment appoints luxury brand veteran to board of directors
Rodney Williams, former president of Diageo Beer Company, joined the casino giant as of July 1 following role in growing Guinness and Johnnie Walker in North America
Caesars Entertainment has appointed former Diageo and LVMH exec Rodney Williams to the company’s board of directors.
Williams, whose tenure began on July 1, joins the company having built his career working with luxury brands.
He most recently served as president of Diageo Beer Company and Diageo Canada since September 2022.
During that time, Williams oversaw the expansion of Guinness’ foothold in the North America market, as well as “unprecedented growth” for Don Julio Tequila and Johnnie Walker Scotch whisky in Canada.
Prior to that, he spent 11 years between April 2011 to January 2022 at LVMH’s wine and spirits division, Moët Hennessy, in various roles.
After spending four years as senior VP of Hennessy USA between April 2011 to June 2015, he worked as executive VP of spirits brands until December 2015.
Williams then worked as chief marketing officer and executive VP of brands from January 2016 to June 2017, before rising his way up to president and CEO of Belvedere Vodka – a role he held from July 2017 to January 2022.
Before joining Moët Hennessy, Williams was senior VP of classic brands at Jackson Family Wines between January 2010 and April 2011.
In addition, he serves as a part-time strategic adviser to both restaurant management software company Zitti and data firm Qonsent.
Speaking about Williams’ appointment to the board, Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg said: “I’m pleased to have Rodney Williams join our board of directors. Rodney brings a different perspective to hospitality, having experienced it from the upper echelon of luxury beverage brands.
“His experience in innovation, digital and experiential marketing, and implementing optimization makes him a good strategic fit for our board of directors. I look forward to working with him to continue to drive results for our guests, team members, and shareholders.”
Gary Carano, Caesars Entertainment executive chair, added: “Rodney is an important addition to the Caesars Entertainment leadership team. Rodney’s career leading some of the world’s best-known beverage brands gives him an unmatched perspective in the hospitality industry.”
With William’s addition to the company, Caesars confirmed the number of board members has risen to 11.
Last month, Caesars completed its acquisition of WynnBET’s Michigan igaming operations as the company looks to expand its digital presence.
Arnold Ash is EGR’s Executive Recruitment Partner. They support ambitious organisations to identify and attract industry leading executive talent. Find out more here.