Celsius Splits Into Three Brand Units as Activist Presses
Celsius Holdings will run Celsius, Alani Nu and Rockstar as separate units with their own presidents, while an activist investor calls for a new CEO.
The Celsius brand is losing sales while Alani Nu grows, and an investor wants the CEO out. Against that backdrop, Celsius Holdings is splitting into three brand-led business units.
An activist and a stalled flagship
Rockstar founder Russ Savage announced in August that he had acquired a 4.7% stake. An activist investor is a shareholder who uses a stake to push for change. He has called for sweeping leadership changes, including replacing CEO John Fieldly.
Celsius admitted the same month that it had gone too far in delaying innovation for its namesake brand. It put the integration of Alani Nu and Rockstar first and waited for better retail space in higher-traffic stores. Sales of the Celsius brand suffered as a result.
Third-quarter revenue grew 16.8% to $847 million, which the company called a record. Alani Nu sales rose 24%, more than offsetting a 6% drop for the Celsius brand. The three brands' combined dollar share of the US ready-to-drink energy category rose 0.6 points to 20.7%, from 20.1% in the second quarter.
How a small brand became a portfolio
Celsius sales were $53 million in 2018, the year Fieldly became CEO. Last year they topped $2.5 billion. As the market grew, the company widened its range beyond its namesake drink.
Alani Nu came in early 2025 for $1.8 billion, a deal meant in part to widen the buyer base with young women. Rockstar, taken over from PepsiCo a few months afterwards, draws drinkers who want classic flavors and formats.
Three units, three presidents
The units cover Celsius, Alani Nu, and Rockstar Energy & Emerging Growth. Each will be led by a president answerable to Fieldly for the unit's strategy and results. The company says the structure is meant to make the business faster and more focused on sales.
The three brands are all energy drinks, Celsius says, but differ enough to operate as distinct entities. Each president can draw on the parent's marketing, sales, operations and corporate capabilities.
Alex Zigliara joins from Fiji Water to oversee Celsius. Rishi Daing, the chief marketing officer, will oversee Rockstar. A search is under way for an executive to run Alani Nu.
Zigliara has also been CEO of MrBeast Feastables and of Clif Bar & Company, now owned by Mondelez International. He said he is joining at "an important point in the [Celsius] brand's trajectory".
Daing has more than 20 years of marketing and commercial leadership across consumer goods, beverages and emerging brands, the company said. He held a senior role at Mark Anthony Brands, the White Claw maker, and spent 16 years at PepsiCo on brands including Pepsi, Gatorade and Rockstar.
The company also faces questions over its health claims and a Texas investigation into whether Alani Nu unlawfully markets high-caffeine drinks to minors.
Source: Food Dive