New chief people officer for Molson Coors Europe

Molson Coors Brewing Company has appointed former human resources director of Vodafone Vicky Cookson as the company’s chief people officer for Molson Coors Europe, based in Prague, Czech Republic, effective Sept. 1.

Cookson will report directly to global chief legal and people officer Sam Walker and join the European leadership team led by Mark Hunter. Cookson is human resources executive with international and cross-cultural experience.

Molson Coors Europe has more than 6,000 employees and operations in the U.K., Ireland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovakia.

“We are excited to welcome Vicky, a highly distinguished and experienced member of the human resources community, to our European team,” said Walker. “Her commitment and passion for helping professionals grow and develop, coupled with her many years of people strategy experience make her an ideal addition to our European leadership team.”

Cookson spent 13 years at Vodafone, most recently as the human resources director for the company’s Romanian business, where she led a team of 70 human resources and property professionals in the development and implementation of the people strategy across almost 4,000 employees. Prior to this, she was the interim HR director for Vodafone Hungary.

In January 2013, Molson Coors formed the Molson Coors Europe business segment by combining its existing businesses in the U.K. and Ireland with its acquired business in nine Central European countries.

Molson Coors Brewing Company is one of the world’s largest brewers. The company’s operating segments include Canada, the United States, Europe, and Molson Coors International. The company portfolio of owned and partner brands includes Coors Light, Molson Canadian, Staropramen and Carling.