The decentralization of Molson Breweries last month also means much of the marketing and advertising responsibilities will be regionalized as well.

Three regional units have been set up, each headed by a president.

Molson believes that by moving more responsibility to the regions and their presidents, it will bring the company closer to the consumer.

Heading the regions are David Perkins, previously senior vice-president marketing in the national office, as president Ontario and Atlantic region; Blair Shier, former vice-president brand management, now based in Vancouver as president, Western Canada, and Andre Tranchemontagne, previously senior vice-president, national sales and distribution, now president of the Quebec region.

The reassignment of Perkins leaves the company without a head of national marketing.

Barry Joslin says a replacement will be named later this month, and adds in the interim those who had been reporting to Perkins will report directly to John Barnett, president of Molson Breweries.

Joslin was moved from the parent company The Molson Companies Limited, where he was senior vice-president corporate and public affairs, to the brewery as senior vice-president corporate affairs and organization effectiveness during the shuffle.

He says in addition to replacing Perkins some marketing resources will be reassigned to the regions.

‘The region president will in fact have full accountability for volume growth in their regions as opposed to setting national brand objectives,’ Joslin says.

To date, little marketing was done in the regions. It was handled in the national office with some field marketing and sales promotion resources.

The regions are now responsible for every aspect of marketing that goes on in terms of brand development and campaigns.

‘What they will probably look at with some brands, even if a brand exists across more than one region, is if it’s strongest in one region, like Canadian in Ontario, they may, in fact, give lead responsibility to the management of that brand to the region where the brand is strongest,’ Joslin says.

He says the extent to which the new structure will require regional agencies is still up in the air but the hiring of regional agencies is not out of the question.

Other personnel changes resulting from Molson’s decentralization include the appointment of Hugh Atkin as chief financial officer.

Atkin replaces Ian Fraser Smith, who had been seconded from Foster’s Brewing Group and is returning to Australia.

Those who have left the company include, in the national office, Charles Fremes, senior vice-president corporate and public affairs and Gary Burkett, senior vice-president personnel, and Craig Prentice, senior vice-president, Ontario.