New molson Coors CEO Mark Hunter knows his craft.

• Author: Sukin, Gigi
• Position: GOOD COMPANY

At the start of 2015, a new captain took the helm of Molson Coors Brewing Co. Mark Hunter replaced former CEO-Peter Swinburn and has been given no guarantee of smooth waters, as the company faces "headwinds from craft competitors. fickle consumers and an evolving industry. Still, 52-year-old Hunter, who has been dedicated to the beer business for more than a quarter-century, pairs his Scottish accents with a steady demeanor and confidence about Coors

New to Colorado--home to many craft breweries--Hunter says today more people are talking about beer styles, flavors and colors than he can ever remember, which he believes to be good for the business as a whole. Molson Coors is the seventh-largest brewer by volume in the world. With roughly 9,000 employees--not including the MillerCoors joint venture--the global beverage behemoth is attempting to strike a balance between its history and innovation to remain relevant and "delight the world's beer drinkers."

CB: What happened when you found out you'd gotten this gig?

We took a brief interlude for a beer (laughing).

Everybody in our business has a personal development plan and we take succession planning very seriously. It was relatively transparent. As Peter Swinburn was getting ready for retirement, a couple people started to emerge as potential successor contenders. So that process came to a head in the middle of last year.

Pete (Coors) and Andrew Molson asked if I'd be prepared to step up, and then through the balance of last year, in the third quarter, I had a chance for a hand over from Peter (Swinburn), and then he really stepped back and I started to run the business. So when it became official, I hit the ground running from January.

You started your career in sales--working for Hallmark Cards and Bulmers, an independent cider company. How has this impacted the way you approach business?

We are a branding business. Probably the most important job in our business is the job that our front-line sales teams do, because nothing happens in our business until somebody sells a case of beer, and I think that connection point, where your retailers and your consumers or shoppers collide, is really where all of the value is.

Compare and contrast your multi-cultural business experiences.

Whether it's the UK, Canada, the U.S. or across Central Europe, every culture has its strengths and its quirkiness. So in Central and Eastern Europe, there's a big focus on operational excellence, great execution. In...