Heineken USA Names VP of Sales Development

Heineken USA has appointed Christopher Wade its VP of sales development, effective May 1. Reporting to SVP of sales Scott Blazek, Wade will be responsible for overseeing the flawless delivery and execution of the company’s commercial plans and priorities.

Wade’s main focus will be performance management and defining the most efficient way to drive superior analytics and insights that affect Heineken USA’s business results. He will also oversee the company’s annual business and sales operations planning.

“With nearly two decades of sales experience in the beer industry, Christopher brings a strong history of leadership and success to his new role on the Heineken USA sales management team,” noted Blazek.

Wade joined White Plains, N.Y.-based Heineken USA in 2008, as the zone director for Texoma. He managed objectives for the zone and helped drive performance by leading distributor management, retail execution, and team development. Under Wade’s guidance, Texoma was the best-performing zone in the company for three consecutive years, delivering 14,000 new points of distribution and an incremental 464,000 cases over the prior year.

Before joining Heineken USA, Wade was director of sales at Diageo Guinness USA, in which capacity he was responsible for a volume base of 2.5 million and more than $35 million in revenue. He also oversaw P&L, local marketing initiatives and managing team development. During his five years at Diageo Guinness USA, Wade held various positions, including area sales manager for Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Louisiana, and working as a distributor manager in Boston and New Hampshire. Prior to Diageo Guinness USA, Wade worked in sales at JJ Taylor Distributing and Bayside Distributing.

For his new role, Wade will relocate to the New York tri-state area.