Executive Profile
Christy Pruitt-Haynes, SPHR
Executive Bourbon Steward · Certified Bourbon Professional · Certified Cigar Sommelier
Former Fortune 500 HR executive, TEDx speaker, and founder of The Whiskey and Cigar Chic — bringing 25+ years of organizational leadership together with deep, credentialed expertise in bourbon, whiskey, and premium cigars.
Get in Touch
The Opportunity
A Profile No Traditional Spirits Executive Can Replicate
What if your brand's next executive already knows your product intimately, has built and scaled organizations from 20 to 500+ people, has driven double-digit retention gains for Fortune 500 companies, and commands a highly engaged community of 41,000+ bourbon and cigar enthusiasts?
Christy is equally at home on a distillery floor, on the main stage at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, in a boardroom shaping organizational strategy, and in front of a camera creating content that moves product. She does not dabble — she delivers.
Ready to Serve As
  • National Brand Ambassador
  • Chief of Staff / COO
  • VP of Brand Strategy / Consumer Experience
  • Consumer & Industry Educator
  • Employee Training and Engagement / People Operations
The Crossover Advantage
Three Pillars That Set Her Apart
Industry Credibility
  • Executive Bourbon Steward
  • Certified Bourbon Professional
  • Certified Cigar Sommelier
  • TN Bourbon Women Ambassador
  • USBG Tennessee Secretary
  • Whiskey House Nashville Trustee
  • KY Bourbon Festival Speaker
  • Multiple barrel picks completed
Executive Operations
  • 25+ Years C-Suite Partnership
  • Scaled HR: 20 to 500+ employees
  • Multi-country operations leadership
  • P&L aligned people strategy
  • Culture transformation architect
  • Succession & pipeline building
  • Organizational design & alignment
  • Change management leadership
Brand & Market Impact
  • 41,000+ engaged followers
  • 1.2M+ views on single post
  • 7.7% brand IG growth in hours
  • Drove immediate product sales
  • TEDx speaker & media expert
  • Forbes, CNN, HBR, Fast Company
  • Events from 2 to 10,000+ attendees
  • Corporate and trade education
Proven Results
Commercial Brand Impact by the Numbers
41K+
Engaged Followers
Across social platforms
1.2M+
Single Post Views
Proven viral content reach
1570%
Sales Increase
Within 2 hours of one post
10K+
Live Event Attendees
Reached via experiential events
20%+
Female Attendance
Increase in bourbon bar attendance
7.7%
IG Follower Growth
For New Dawn Distilling in hours
Client Testimonial
"Christy's video on New Dawn's 6-year-old bourbon is the ONLY video on ANY social media channel that correlated with direct growth and sales. We saw a 7.7% increase in follower growth in just hours after her post and a 17% increase in interactions by non-followers. More importantly, her post immediately translated into five direct sales within 2 hours of posting. Christy speaks honestly and authentically to her followers which has made her a trusted source in the whiskey community."
— Dr. Dawn O'Neal, Founder and CEO, New Dawn Distilling
Credentials
Spirits Industry Credentials & Affiliations
Certifications
  • Executive Bourbon Steward, Stave and Thief Society
  • Certified Bourbon Professional, Council of Whiskey Masters
  • Certified Cigar Sommelier Tobacconist, Tobacconist University
  • Tennessee Whiskey Certificate, Whiskey University
Deep product expertise spans bourbon, American whiskey, Scotch, Irish, and Japanese whisky, and premium cigars — including production processes, mash bill analysis, tasting methodology, flavor profiling, barrel dynamics, and brand history.
Affiliations & Roles
  • Tennessee Ambassador, Bourbon Women Association
  • Trustee, The Whiskey House Nashville
  • Secretary, USBG Tennessee Chapter
  • Speaker, Kentucky Bourbon Festival
  • Speaker, Jim Beam Institute Industry Conference
She has conducted multiple barrel picks for established brands and is trusted by distillers, manufacturers, retailers, and distributors as a credible expert and commercial partner.
Career Timeline
Executive Leadership Experience
1
Founder & CEO — The Whiskey and Cigar Chic (2023–Present)
Built a nationally recognized bourbon and cigar education brand from the ground up. Designs premium brand experiences from intimate executive gatherings to conferences of 10,000+. Single post surpassed 1.2M views with proven track record of driving sales.
2
Founder & President — Christy Pruitt-Haynes Consulting (2008–Present)
16-year strategic HR consulting practice serving Fortune 500 clients including Starbucks, Mastercard, Nike, Capital One, and Bridgestone. Delivered 25% improvement in manager effectiveness, 18% increase in engagement scores, and 40% stronger leadership pipelines.
3
Global Head of Talent & Performance — NeuroLeadership Institute (2021–2024)
Led global practice delivering neuroscience-backed organizational solutions to Fortune 500 clients. Improved retention and engagement by double digits with measurement systems linking organizational health to business outcomes.
4
HR Business Partner — INFINITI Americas, Nissan (2015–2017)
Led HR strategy across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, partnering with C-suite on workforce planning, succession, and organizational effectiveness.
5
HR Director — MTV Networks, Viacom/CMT (2005–2008)
Oversaw HR across multiple states and business units including talent acquisition, performance management, and compliance during new channel launches.
6
Head of Human Resources — Memphis Grizzlies NBA (2001–2004)
Built all HR functions from scratch, scaling from 20 to 500+ employees. Organized the first-ever NBA team human resources meeting, convening HR leadership from across the league.
Media & Speaking
Speaking, Media & Content Leadership
Speaking Topics
  • Bourbon, Whiskey & Cigar Education and Trends
  • Women & Diverse Communities in Whiskey Culture
  • Building Inclusive Premium Experiences
  • Brand Development & Authentic Storytelling
  • Leadership, Culture & Organizational Performance
  • The Intersection of Professional Excellence & Premium Lifestyle
  • Creating the Personal and Professional Life You Desire
Media Recognition
  • Forbes
  • Harvard Business Review
  • CNN Business
  • Fast Company
  • Business Insider
  • TEDx Speaker
Podcasts & Content
Host of The Barrel Proof Life; co-host of Whiskey University and The Blind Tiger Collective. Instagram: 27,700+ followers · TikTok: 13,300+ followers.
Education & Certifications
Education, Credentials & Civic Leadership
Education & Professional Development
  • B.S., Personnel and Labor Relations, University of Maryland
  • Leadership Development for HR Professionals, Center for Creative Leadership
  • Brain-Based Coaching Certificate, NeuroLeadership Institute
  • Design Thinking Certificate, IDEO U
  • Generative AI for HR Professionals, IBM
Professional Certifications
  • Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), HRCI
  • Executive Bourbon Steward, Stave and Thief Society
  • Certified Bourbon Professional, Council of Whiskey Masters
  • Certified Cigar Sommelier Tobacconist, Tobacconist University
  • American MENSA Member
Civic Leadership — Nashville
  • Co-Chair, Employee Benefits Board, Metro Nashville Government (2024–Present)
  • Member, Mayor's Advisory Committee on Accessibility (2024–Present)
  • Chair, Nashville Works Committee, Mayor Freddie O'Connell's Transition Team (2023)
  • Nashville Emerging Leaders Award in Human Resources, Nashville Chamber of Commerce
"I'm like bacon, butter, and bourbon.
I make everything better."
— Christy Pruitt-Haynes
Call or Text
(615) 212-5263