SEATTLE, WA – Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, the third largest premium wine company in the United States and the largest winery in the Pacific Northwest, has appointed Melody Zhang as Chief Human Resources Officer. This C-Suite search was led and placed by Founder & CEO, Tom Christopher, and President & Managing Director, Erin Merker.
As a trusted advisor and coach to the Senior Management Team, Zhang is responsible for all aspects of Human Resources. This includes talent management and acquisition, total rewards, diversity and inclusion, organizational development, and talent systems and infrastructure. She will report to the President and Chief Executive Officer and is a company officer and a member of the company’s Senior Management Team.
“TCG was honored to partner with and place Melody Zhang at Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. She will be a wonderful and valued addition to the Ste. Michelle leadership team” said Tom Christopher. “For over 22+ years, TCG continues to demonstrate market expertise in successfully executing C-Suite searches for clients within a broad range of industries, locations, and company sizes. This has allowed us to become the search partner of choice and named by Forbes as the nation’s best HR executive recruiting firm for the past two years.”
Zhang brings over 25+ years of human resources expertise to Ste. Michelle Wine Estates having previously held HR executive roles with Anheuser-Busch Companies, The Hershey Company, Carlisle Companies, and most recently, Milgard Windows and Doors. She also currently serves on the boards of Asia Pacific Cultural Center and Milgard Women’s Initiative.
About Ste. Michelle Wine Estates
Ste. Michelle Wine Estates (SMWE), located outside of Seattle, Washington, has a distinguished history that dates back to 1934. The company pioneered vinifera grape growing in Washington State while wines under the Ste. Michelle label was first introduced in 1967. Today, SMWE owns more than 3,700 vineyard acres across Washington, Oregon, and California. SMWE’s ‘String of Pearls’ wine portfolio represents owned or imported brands, all demonstrating the producers’ unwavering commitment to creating distinctive, high-quality wines from authentic estate vineyards. Chateau Ste. Michelle, its cornerstone winery, enjoys winemaking partnerships with some of the world’s most distinguished vintners. SMWE’s charitable giving program, which supports some 400 non-profit organizations annually, has provided more than $3 million for scholarships for high- achieving, low-income students at Washington universities. The company also was the principal fundraiser for Washington State University’s viticulture and enology institution, the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates Wine Science Center.
About TCG
Founded in 1998 by Thomas and Paula Christopher, The Christopher Group (TCG) is the nation’s premier specialized boutique for Agile HR Business Solutions and named America’s Best HR Executive Recruiting Firms by Forbes in 2019 and 2020. Staffed by former HR professionals and highly trained search practitioners, TCG’s Recruiting Services Division and Consulting Services Division provides customized HR Business Solutions for clients, across all industries, locations, company sizes, and verticals.
Our comprehensive understanding and deep relationships within HR have allowed us to become the firm of choice for many clients like Kraft, Whirlpool Corporation, Pepsi, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Welch’s, Nationwide, SC Johnson, Walgreens, USAA, Verizon, Penn State University, Honeywell, Hanes, Allstate, Delta Dental, BP, Capital One, Comcast, Dish, Exxon Mobil, First Energy, Goodyear, Johnson & Johnson, Goodyear, Parker Hannifin, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Lamb Weston, Meijer, Petco, Air Products and many more.