J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines today announced the advancement of second-generation Co-owner and Trade and Brand Advocate Cynthia Lohr to the position of chief brand officer (CBO), reporting to Founder Jerry Lohr. Lohr first began her career with J. Lohr more than 30 years ago, having worked briefly in both the tasting room and quality control lab before leaving to gain valuable business and branding experience in the technology sector prior to her return to the winery 17 years ago.
“Cynthia has demonstrated an unrelenting commitment to championing our company and brand differentiators, and elevating the J. Lohr story, across all channels,” said Founder Jerry Lohr. “This promotion to the role of chief brand officer is a deserved acknowledgement of her acumen and passion for our family business, and for her leadership efforts across the wine industry and beyond.”
Lohr leveraged a successful career in tech marketing and PR, having built esteemed brands including Yahoo!, Organic Online, and Amazon-acquired Alexa Internet, among others. After concluding her last post as vice president and account services director at AlexanderOgilvy PR Worldwide, Lohr returned to J. Lohr in 2002. Named director of communications in 2002 and promoted to J. Lohr VP marketing in 2009, Lohr shifted roles to trade and brand advocate in 2016 to focus on high-impact, strategic industry relations with trade, partners, and consumers — with brand excellence always at the forefront.
In this role, Lohr continues to collaborate with J. Lohr’s internal teams on initiatives that impact the company’s leading direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales and brand alignment and elevation strategies, respectively. As a second-generation winery business steward and ambassador, Cynthia, along with brothers Steve and Lawrence, is deeply involved in the day-to-day oversight and management of J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines. Additionally, Lohr is actively engaged in shaping the wine industry as the board vice president of the Paso Robles CAB Collective (PRCC) and as strategic adviser and council to organizations dedicated to improving women’s health and leadership, including: Women of the Vine & Spirits, Dream Big Darling, and the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Lohr is a member of the UC Davis Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences and is a member of the PRWCA (Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance) trade and marketing committee. She also serves on the board of J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines.
“Throughout my career, I’ve had the good fortune to help influence world-renowned brands, and understand the power of aligning core values with an organization’s brand ethos,” said Cynthia Lohr. “I couldn’t be happier to continue my life’s work at J. Lohr alongside family and colleagues, trade partners and consumer constituencies, to touch as many as possible with our delicious wines, focus on sustainability and unbeatable story.”
Lohr was recently nominated for Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s 20th Anniversary Wine Star Award for Wine Executive of the Year.
