Director, West Coast Business Solutions Group

A true industry veteran, Kathy Whelan has over 30 years of wine and spirits distribution experience. As Director of the Business Solutions Group’s West Coast operation, Kathy supervises a staff of eight who provide Accounts Payable, Supplier Billing, General Ledger, Master Data, Interface Management, Inventory Costing and Benefits support to all SWS Divisions - especially catering to Divisions in the Pacific Time Zone.

Prior to her current role, Kathy held the position of Assistant Controller for the SWS of California Divisions. She supervised a staff of over 55 people in divisional accounting. Kathy spent two months in the SWS of Hawaii division, following Southern’s acquisition in 1996, as well as other special strategic projects. Kathy was the co-project manager for SPIRIT (Southern Payroll Improvement and Redesign Initiative Team) and project manager for the Supplier Billing Initiative.

Before joining Southern, Kathy was the Controller for Baruh Spirits, Inc; the Assistant Controller for Juillard Alpha Wine & Spirits; and the Administrative Assistant for Sonoma Cutrer Vineyards.

Kathy received her Bachelor of Arts, English from Sonoma State University. In her free time she enjoys running, snow skiing, hiking, organic gardening and watching her favorite women’s NCAA basketball team from Stanford University.