Cierto Tequila owner Elevated Spirits has appointed a former Diageo executive as its CEO.
Ami-Lynn Bakshi has assumed the newly-created position this month, alongside chief growth officer Jim Ruane, who also worked for Diageo for almost a decade. Bakshi’s career with the Don Julio and Casamigos brand owner spanned just over 20 years, culminating in a one-and-a-half-year stint as VP of innovation in the US.
New York-based Elevated Spirits expects Bakshi to “spearhead the continued expansion of Cierto”, which operates at the luxury end of the Tequila category. Her experience in Tequila with Diageo included managing Jose Cuervo as well as the 1800 brand, both of which were the basis of a distribution agreement with owner Cuervo until 2012.
Tequila remains the primary growth driver for spirits in the US; figures from the country’s Control States for June showed the category delivering a 12% rise in sales by value on the corresponding month a year earlier.
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