Paul Beggan, president, Bacardi Canada
‘Andy epitomizes leadership and action. People in this province are now choosing better-quality beverages by virtue of what he and his staff taught them. He’s a great guy, he did a very good job, and he’ll be missed.’
David Caplan, Brandt’s direct superior as Ontario public infrastructure renewal minister
‘Andy was able to work with anybody, certainly on the business side but also with people from a lot of different political perspectives. He understood the scope of what he had to do perhaps better than anyone who came before him, and he’s leaving enormous shoes to fill.’
Nancy Cardinal, VP marketing, LCBO
‘It was obvious to us all that he enjoyed every single day he was here. He was positive, enthusiastic and a real champion for the LCBO. He was really a chairman of the people and it didn’t matter who you were; he always made a point of congratulating everyone and speaking highly of everybody’s contribution at store openings and other events.’
Larry Flynn, then SVP of merchandising, LCBO; now SVP-Gaming, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation
‘Watching how he solicited input and buy-in from people who actually operated the stores was one of the most important lessons I could ever have learned about leadership. He’s also such a great schmoozer that I still remember a night in a restaurant in Greece where he was so funny even the waiters were in stitches although they didn’t understand English.’
Peter Heywood, brand strategist/principal, Industry Brand Agency
‘I’m hoping his true legacy will be that he opened the LCBO up to even more change in the future and that what was accomplished during his tenure won’t just be cast in amber and left the way it is.’
Bob Rae, former premier of Ontario (who first tapped Brandt as LCBO chair)
‘He added tremendously to the sense of innovation at the LCBO and helped it become an outstanding public agency that returns a lot of benefit to
the province.’
John Torella, retail analyst/senior consultant, JC Williams Group
‘Despite everything he did in terms of customer advocacy, you can’t forget that he also created immense asset value for the citizens of Ontario. We will feel his legacy every time we go into an LCBO store like the wonderful one at Summerhill [in Toronto] and have a world-class experience.’
David Tsubouchi, former Ontario minister of consumer commercial relations
‘Especially when we worked together to get Sunday openings, I realized what a great consensus builder Andy is. He always knew how to lay the groundwork before going forward with anything – which is why oftentimes he only told you part of the story to get you to do what he wanted. I realized that one day when he somehow got me to climb into a big wine vat to stomp on grapes while he stood safely outside collecting the juice.’
Donald Ziraldo, president, Inniskillin Wines
‘Bon vivant is probably the best way to describe Andy and he always made great speeches. When I had a château in France that I wanted to fill to celebrate our winning the Grand prix d’Honneur, all I had to do was make him the guest of honour. Thousands of people chose our party instead of some other company’s because they wanted to meet him and maybe make a deal.’
