Grand Prairie, Texas, June 2, 2022 — Republic National Distributing Company, the national distributor and broker of premium wine and spirits, today announced the appointment of Robert Cornella as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, serving as a member of the Operating Committee and reporting to Chief Executive Officer Nick Mehall. In this role, Cornella is responsible for the company’s financial performance, funding, governance and risk management.
“Robert brings nearly 25 years of finance and mergers and acquisition (M&A) leadership experience in blue-chip companies to the role,” Mehall said. “He also brings commercial, corporate finance, strategy and financial planning and analysis (FP&A) skills gained in large divisions of Fortune 100 and Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) 250-size companies that will benefit RNDC as we continue our growth and transformation journey.“
Cornella began his career with Ernst & Young rotating through several international and domestic management roles. In late 2004, he joined The Coca-Cola Company in the Mergers & Acquisitions Group, becoming responsible for Coca-Cola’s European strategic M&A activities, including architecting and leading several large-scale consolidations of global beverage distribution and bottling companies. He then progressed into increasingly complex international divisional CFO roles in both public and private companies. Most recently, Cornella was Group CFO of Costa Coffee, the world’s second largest multi-channel coffee chain.
“RNDC has tremendous growth potential and exciting opportunities ahead, and I am proud to help the company realize its goals and ambitions,” Cornella said. “I look forward to working with Nick Mehall and Bob Hendrickson to guide RNDC as we execute on our strategic vision.”
Originally from the NYC metro area, Cornella holds a BSBA from the University of Florida with concentrations in finance and economics. He earned a Master of Business Administration, graduating magna cum laude, from the University of Florida/EM LYON Business School. He also holds a master’s degree in Financial Strategy, graduating with distinction, from Oxford University in the UK. He completed the Executive Development Program at UPenn’s The Wharton School and is a Certified Management Accountant.
Cornella will be based in Atlanta and begins his new role on June 6, 2022.
About Republic National Distributing Company
As a top beverage alcohol distributor in the nation, RNDC’s national reach helps suppliers by building strategic relationships with on- and off-premise customers to elevate their brands and reach their target consumers. RNDC currently operates in the District of Columbia and 37 states across the United States, with the expected addition of the New York market in 2022. To learn more, visit www.rndc-usa.com or contact Reace Smith, Vice President, Corporate Communications at reace.smith@rndc-usa.com.
