Facundo L Bacardi, chairman of Bacardi Limited, said Nielsen had dedicated his life to the Bacardi company.
According to a statement from the company, “Nielsen helped establish a stable transition for the company and the Bacardi family following the confiscation of the Company’s assets in Cuba.”
Facundo L Bacardi said: “Mr. Nielsen was deeply admired and respected for his collective style of leadership, commitment and devotion to employees that imbued a philosophy that every employee should be treated like a family member.
“He was highly regarded by the US distributor network.”
During Nielsen’s tenure, the brand achieved global recognition.