Bulldog Gin has appointed industry veteran Chester Brandes as the Managing Director of its newly created Americas division, responsible for the development and execution of the brand’s commercial strategy in the US, Canada, Mexico, Latin America, and the Caribbean, with a particular focus on the on-premise.
Most recently, Brandes was CEO of Imperial Brands, Inc. (Groupe Belvedere) where he spearheaded the launch and development of Sobieski Vodka in the US and Canada.
Under Brandes’ stewardship at Imperial Brands, Sobieski reached sales of one million cases faster than any imported vodka brand in US history (Impact).
In addition to Bulldog’s existing US team – led by Senior Brand Manager North America Jaron Berkhemer — Christian Castren and Shayne Ackerl will assume the roles of Commercial Director Latin America and Canada, respectively. All three will report to Brandes.
According to IWSR, Bulldog Gin is the fastest growing prem-ium gin in the world.
“With Bulldog growing at an impressive rate in North America, it’s a game-changing time to bring on a seasoned veteran like Chester, who truly embodies the ‘Bulldog spirit’ of relentlessness, confidence, and passion,” says Anshuman Vohra, Founder and CEO of Bulldog Gin.
He adds: “I am quite confident that he and our team will elevate and further amplify the brand in concert with our valued partners at Gruppo Campari, and I look forward to working closely with him in this endeavor.”
“Bulldog is on the precipice of really exploding in the North American market, following in the footsteps of its category-leading position in Spain. I am extremely excited about the opportunity to help develop this great brand in the region. Together with Gruppo Campari and our other distribution partners, I have no doubt that Bulldog’s growth will be greatly accelerated as a result of this initiative,” says Brandes.
“Bulldog is well positioned to take advantage of the rising interest in cocktail culture in this territory, shining as a key ingredient in popular drinks such as the Negroni,” said Ugo Fiorenzo, Managing Director – US for Gruppo Campari. “Chester’s vast experience with distributors, along with the on-premise channel, makes him an ideal leader of this new division.”
Bulldog Gin, hand-crafted at the world’s oldest continuously functioning gin distillery in England, was founded by former JP Morgan investment banker and entrepreneur, Anshuman Vohra.
