Patrick Ricard dies aged 67
Patrick Ricard was mostly responsible for the expansion of the Pernod Ricard organisation into a global drinks behemoth acquiring brands such as Jameson and Absolut in its world-beating portfolio.
The 67 year-old former Chief Executive of Pernod Ricard originally followed his father Paul, the founder of Ricard Pastis in 1932, into the business in 1967, becoming Chief Executive in 1972.
The company then went on to link up with Pastis-producer Pernod to form Pernod Ricard in 1975 before moving on to greater achievement in the years to come.
He became Chief Executive of the merged Pernod Ricard company in 1978, a position which he held until stepping down in 2008 in favour of Pierre Pringuet, current Chief Executive. He still held a position on the board at the time of his death last Friday.
Between 1975 and 2008 Pernod Ricard expanded operations through acquisitions and sales – especially of spirits – to become the second-largest drinks company in the world after Diageo.
The company acquired Irish Distillers and its whiskey brands including Jameson along the way in 1988.
It continued to grow with the acquisition of Seagram and of Allied Domecq in 2005 before snapping up Absolut vodka, the prize of the Swedish government-owned Vin & Sprit portfolio in 2008.
The growth of the company is such that Pernod Ricard has doubled in size every seven years since it was formed, claims the company.
Patrick Ricard was married with three children.