Terlato Wine Group has confirmed an external recruitment for its next chief operating officer.
Gregorio Gutierrez MacAllister (below) will assume the position from Monday (13 July), the Illinois-headquartered company said earlier this week. Details of who he is replacing in the position were not disclosed, although Sandra LeDrew has held the roles of COO & president of winery operations since mid-2018.
Global Drinks Intel has contacted Terlato for clarification.
Gutierrez returns to the alcohol industry after a break of two years. The executive left Diageo after 18 years in 2024, having risen to the position of president of US spirits. Prior to his two years with the group’s North America division, Gutierrez spent a decade at market MD level, first of Colombia (2012-16), then of Colombia and Venezuela combined (2016-17), before four years leading in Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay before heading to southern Europe for one year, covering France, Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
“In his new role, Gutierrez will oversee Terlato Wine Group’s commercial and operational functions, working closely with the company’s leadership team to accelerate growth, strengthen distributor and supplier partnerships, and continue building the capabilities required to support the company’s long-term vision,” the privately-owned company said.
Now on the fourth generation of its founding family, Terlato has been led by current CEO Bill Terlato since 1994. As well as its own portfolio of wine brands that hail from California and Washington in the US, as well as from Australia, France, Italy and New Zealand, the business also handles the US sales and marketing responsibilities for third-party brands, such as Champagne Lanson, with whom the arrangement commenced five years ago.
