UK-based spirits brand owner Distil has confirmed the appointment of David Smith as its CEO.
Smith (below) will join the company, which is home to the RedLeg spiced rum, Blackwoods gin and Blavod vodka brands, on Monday, 17 August, following six years as CEO of Fielden Whisky. His appointment to the newly-created position comes as executive chair Don Goulding prepares to retire on 14 August.
According to Distil, the role of company chair will subsequently be split into two roles: that of CEO and a new non-executive chair position.
In his career before joining Fielden in 2020, Smith spent just shy of a decade at Diageo and International Distillers & Vintners – before the latter was absorbed into the former in 1997 – joining as a field sales executive in 1990 and working up to be the international project director of Smirnoff Ice.
“I have been aware of Distil for many years, and I’ve always been very impressed by their levels of innovation and the quality of their products,” said Smith. “Their portfolio has wide consumer appeal and is positioned well for growth against the current trends around affordability.”
Also changing positions at Distil is Philip Naughton (below), who will assume the non-executive chair position next month, having been appointed as a non-executive director in February.
London-based Distil also said this week that it will move its UK distribution to Fortitude Drinks from next month. Fortitude, which already bottles “some brands” for Distil, will take over from Global Brands. The pair will also “explore opportunities” in export markets.
