Canada’s Diamond Estates Wines & Spirits has recruited internally for its next CEO as Murray Souter prepares to retire.
The Ontario-based wine group, which also provides sales and distribution for third-party companies nationwide, has confirmed that current COO Andrew Howard will assume the leadership position at the start of August. Souter, who started as CEO in 2013, will also step down from Diamond Estate’s board.
Following stints of five and eight years, respectively, with PepsiCo and Anheuser-Busch InBev’s Labatt Breweries in Canada, Howard transitioned to Diamond Estates last year as part of the acquisition of Equity Wine Group. As well as two wineries in Ontario, Equity also owned the Rood Apples Cider brand.
Diamond Estate’s August purchase of Equity coincided with its acquisition of another cider brand, Shiny Apple, from Stonechurch Vineyards & Winery Holdings. The pair now sit in the portfolio of their new owner.
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