Molson Coors CEO
Dave Perkins pulls a clever switcheroo on this week’s episode of
Undercover Boss Canada. He pawns off his week undercover on chief legal officer
Kelly Brown on the grounds that he is “too recognizable within the company” to pass unidentified (a cheap trick that definitely makes him an everyday zero). Lucky for Brown—who pretends to be thrilled at the opportunity, but clearly is not—her disguise stops short of a
shaved head or a
wig. See how she does as a Molson factory worker—and why we could never work with her—after the jump.
Brown starts in Moncton at Molson’s newest brewery, and it quickly becomes obvious this is going to be another PR-filled episode (how come that seems to happen when women execs go undercover?). Here is a summary of all the PR stunts in three parts: First, Brown works with the only female brewery technician in the factory (to show that Molson supports women in a male-dominated industry); next, she preps beer bottles for cleaning (to show that Molson is environmentally conscious); and finally, Molson just happens to sponsor a shoreline cleanup on the very same day that Brown is being filmed there. Coincidences are fun, aren’t they? Despite the PR bonanza, Brown herself seems like a good sport. We’d like her better, though, if she could manage to do anything factory-related without shrieking. Every minor hiccup is an occasion for a high-pitched yelp: the conveyor belt stopping; the conveyor belt going too fast; and a beer bottle breaking. Some advice for Dave Perkins: next time you make someone do your dirty work, make sure they can suffer in silence.
Wherein we note where the CEOs embrace life as a plebe (everyday heroes, represented by Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope), and where they out themselves as fat-cat fakes (everyday zeroes, represented by Ricky Gervais’s David Brent)
She lacks toughness. One of her co-workers put it diplomatically: “I don’t think she has the line technician attitude.”
She cries when factory worker Christine talks about her daughter, who is blind, and tears up again when talking about it to the cameras.
She bluntly says, “People always say women can’t work well together. That’s bullshit.” You go, girl!
She whines about being physically tired, mentally exhausted and sick to her stomach. We get it! You don’t like factory work!
She cleans kegs efficiently and doesn’t even notice that her shift has ended.
She says, “There’s no way in hell I would do this type of shift work”—right in front of a guy who does shift work.
Brown manages to convince her boss she is excited about going undercover, which convinces us that she’s an expert in deception.
Fired. Listening to her shriek all day would drive us nuts.
. Lucky for Brown—who pretends to be thrilled at the opportunity, but clearly is not—her disguise stops short of a shaved head or a wig. See how she does as a Molson factory worker—and why we could never work with her—after the jump.
Brown starts in Moncton at Molson’s newest brewery, and it quickly becomes obvious this is going to be another PR-filled episode (how come that seems to happen when women execs go undercover?). Here is a summary of all the PR stunts in three parts: First, Brown works with the only female brewery technician in the factory (to show that Molson supports women in a male-dominated industry); next, she preps beer bottles for cleaning (to show that Molson is environmentally conscious); and finally, Molson just happens to sponsor a shoreline cleanup on the very same day that Brown is being filmed there. Coincidences are fun, aren’t they? Despite the PR bonanza, Brown herself seems like a good sport. We’d like her better, though, if she could manage to do anything factory-related without shrieking. Every minor hiccup is an occasion for a high-pitched yelp: the conveyor belt stopping; the conveyor belt going too fast; and a beer bottle breaking. Some advice for Dave Perkins: next time you make someone do your dirty work, make sure they can suffer in silence.
Wherein we note where the CEOs embrace life as a plebe (everyday heroes, represented by Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope), and where they out themselves as fat-cat fakes (everyday zeroes, represented by Ricky Gervais’s David Brent)
She lacks toughness. One of her co-workers put it diplomatically: “I don’t think she has the line technician attitude.”
She cries when factory worker Christine talks about her daughter, who is blind, and tears up again when talking about it to the cameras.
She bluntly says, “People always say women can’t work well together. That’s bullshit.” You go, girl!
She whines about being physically tired, mentally exhausted and sick to her stomach. We get it! You don’t like factory work!
She cleans kegs efficiently and doesn’t even notice that her shift has ended.
She says, “There’s no way in hell I would do this type of shift work”—right in front of a guy who does shift work.
Brown manages to convince her boss she is excited about going undercover, which convinces us that she’s an expert in deception.
Fired. Listening to her shriek all day would drive us nuts.){kind=link}
You nailed it. This episode was a PR stunt. Disgusting.
…good morning…I’ve read this now a few times and still not sure if its totally intended to be a humorous punchy review or not. Realistically I’d love to have you come in a spend a day with us at Molson Coors to see how authentic and genuine we are…and that the show reflects Kelly’s heart and passion (ok…I’m with you…less shrieking !).
The shore line clean was coincidental. We were part of the WWF shoreline clean up the past two years…and it served as part of our month of action with employees dedicated to water.
The bottle is one example of how Molson Coors is environmentally concious…further supported by our recent listing on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index…we’re not perfect but are committed to that journey like many others.
Smiles…not necessarily a PR bonanza from where I sit…you’ll note that we didn’t purge competitive cases from bottle returns…and the producers were the eye of the camera with little input from us except to ensure that they adhered to health and safety standards. (but were we delighted to be chosen for an episode…absolutely)
As a top 100 employer in Canada with 225 years of brewing behind us we have a strong commitment to community and to our people. It’s a big part of who we are…our President Dave Perkins even hosts 20 person group “Dave’s Dens” to hear from folks across the business (hence his high profile with all).
So you struck a chord on your fat cat fake o meter rating because this was a totally genuine portrayal of life and times at Molson Coors.
Perhaps at some point you’ll want to do a piece yourself and we’d be open to having you come and experience beer and our culture at that juncture.
Cheers to a great weekend and thanks for being open to comments to offer some balance to the “review”. @MolsonFerg
Im the guy collecting yeast from undercover boss. 1)Fake? I know it wasnt.2) shrieking ??? You would scream like a school girl if a bottle exploded going by you at 1000 bottles per minute. 3) both Dave and I chose to work steady nights! Better pay,…some independance… Our commute is not in gridlock. 4) we would have guessed Dave Perkins was Dave… He is always visiting our breweries. Last… Kelly Brown. She is probably one of the nicest, caring and sincere people i have ever met! One who was opposite to her in a law court may nof think so… I hear she is a legal shark!! If you are in Vancouver… I will personally give
You a brewery tour…. You will see what Kelly saw! A group of people who love their jobs! Everyday i leave the brewery… I do so knowing i had a part making the best beer on earth! Cheers
Dave Perkins really shows how much he really does care about his employees by handing off what he should be doing to someone else. Sad very sad! The fake meter should have exploded by now, this show just oozes fakedom. And as usual the spin doctor the fixer Ferg Devins shows up to sweep stuff under the mat.
Todd, sorry you don’t believe there are people who love their jobs! There is nothing fake in that entire show. So… I win! I make beer and you wish you did! Cheers… And just be happy!
“mmmmmmmmmm BEER” —Homer Simpson circa 2001
I have been watching Under Cover Boss Canada. What I don’t understand is that the CEO/President is suppose to go under cover BUT the CEO/President of Molsen Brewery sent someone else. This is NOT what this show is supppose to be about.Is he too proud. Says he is too recognisable…Ever here of a disguise???? Give me a break…
“There’s no way in hell I would work shift work!” Way to support your workers who have been doing that for years. She is an embarrassing excuse for a “CEO” replacement. I might try one of the microbreweries she accidentally suggested to me. She should not be that high up in any company. Poor choices all around.
Is Molson/Coors for real? With the billions of dollars they rake in, they actually think $5,000 is a reward? They drop that at a corporate lunch without a second thought.