Prior to his retirement in 2006, Rodriguez held the position of president/CEO and chairman of the board of Bacardi Limited in Bermuda, to which he had been appointed in 2000. Earlier, he had served as senior vice president and chief financial officer for this parent company, after having joined Bacardi Services Corporation in Miami, Florida in 1988 as vice president.
During his tenure at Bacardi, Rodriguez led four major acquisitions, established various alliance with competitors and more than doubled the size of the company in sales, profits and shareholder dividends. He also established significant changes in governance clearing the way for a public offering if needed in the future for Bacardi, which today is an eight billion dollar company with a presence around the world including the emerging markets of Russia, India and China.Earlier in his career, Rodriguez held leadership positions in finance and operations with Chesebrough Ponds later acquired by Unilever, Bristol Myers in the international finance group, and with the investment banking firm of Goodbody and Company, later acquired by Merrill Lynch. During this time he became a certified internal auditor and a certified public accountant in New York. In addition to English, Rodriguez speaks fluent Spanish and Portuguese.
A native of Havana, Cuba, Rodriguez graduated from De la Salle College with a bachelor of science degree and earned his masters in commercial sciences from the Catholic University of De La Salle both in Cuba and under the auspices of the Christian Brothers, as was his entire prior education. After immigrating to the United States in 1960, he and his wife became U.S. citizens in 1966, and have maintained a residence in Fairfield since coming here.
