Meet the Visionaries - Quintessential Brands Group

Enzo Visone

Founding Partner & Chairman

Enzo Visone

Enzo alongside Warren founded Quintessential Brands in 2011, he is Executive Chairman of the Board. Enzo has more than 25 years’ experience in the wine and spirits industry. He was previously CEO of the Campari Group, the Milan listed beverage Group, and the world’s fifth largest wine and spirits company. Enzo spent over 20 years with Campari and for 10 years was responsible for Campari’s expansion internationally, extending the presence of the Group’s brands to over 200 countries. Enzo led a successful acquisition strategy, acquiring over 14 wine and spirits businesses and over 70 brands in various countries. Campari was listed on the Milan stock exchange in 2001 and today has an enterprise value of over 4 billion Euro.

Warren Scott

Founding Partner & CEO

Biography

Warren Scott

Warren alongside Enzo founded Quintessential Brands in 2011, he is Chief Executive Officer of the board. Warren spent over 25 years as a European investment banker during which time he worked for JP Morgan, Investec, KPMG, Jefferies Inc and Canaccord Genuity Hawkpoint. He has worked across many countries in Europe as well as the US and Middle East, advising large corporates and mid-market private and public companies. Over the last 10 years, Warren focused on the European consumer markets sector. In the UK he helped create, and chaired Cambria Automobiles plc, a top 20 publicly quoted automotive distributor.

Enzo VisoneFounding Partner and Chairman Quintessential Brands Group

Biography

Warren ScottFounding Partner and CEO Quintessential Brands Group

Biography

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Jon Band

Quintessential Brands Company

APAC Regional Director

Biography

Jon Band

Jon Band has spent the past 15 years living and working in Australia and Asia, including four years based in Japan managing the Heineken Kirin operation. Jon has spent his career developing global drinks brands across beer, wines and spirits in emerging drinks categories and new markets, working with global drinks brand companies including Allied Domecq, Glenmorangie and Vina San Pedro Tarapaca. Jon travels regularly in the Asia Pacific region both as Regional Director for Quintessential Brands and the owner of GAP Drinks; a business created to support drinks companies developing brands in the region.

Esther Booth

Quintessential Brands Group

Group General Counsel

Biography

Esther Booth

Esther is a highly-respected commercial and corporate lawyer, with experience working in a top City law firm and in-house at leading companies in the FMCG and energy sectors.

Esther joined Quintessential Brands in January 2017, advising the international group on all legal matters including contracts, intellectual property and legal compliance. Having previously worked for two of the world’s leading wine companies, Concha Y Toro and Accolade Wines, Esther’s understanding of the complexities of the business is second to none.

Esther is a real team player – just ask her about her adventures sailing the Solent! – and she is based in our London office.

Jane Connor

Quintessential Brands Group

Group HR Director

David Firman

Quintessential Brands Group

Corporate Development Director

Biography

David Firman

David joined Quintessential Brands in October 2012 from Rothschild where he spent over four years as an investment banker specialising in mergers and acquisitions across a broad range of sectors within the UK and Europe for both corporate and private equity clients, as well as gaining experience in restructuring and debt advisory. Prior to that David spent three years with KPMG Transaction Services in London where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2007, specialising in financial and commercial due diligence predominantly for private equity clients.

David Hume

Quintessential Brands Company

Artisan Brands Director

Biography

David Hume

David joined in 2013 as Artisan Brands Director responsible for curating, developing and launching Thomas Dakin Gin alongside Quintessential Brands craft portfolio. He was previously Director of Brand Communications for 14 years at Scotland’s leading independent distillers, William Grant & Sons, where he worked on the development of its portfolio of premium spirits brands, including Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey. He has helped build some of the world’s leading premium spirits brands, as well as developing industry renowned visitors’ centres at Glenfiddich and Balvenie and Tullamore Dew in Ireland.

Steven Lister

Quintessential Brands Group

Chief Financial Officer

Biography

Steven Lister

Steven joined Quintessential Brands Group in 2016, he is Chief Financial Officer and a member of the executive board. Steven has spent over 20 years in the drinks industry with Pernod Ricard where he was CFO in both the European and Asia Pacific operations. Steven brings with him significant large scale, international experience in financial management, IT and business leadership. After obtaining his Bachelor degree in Economics (Accounting) at the University of Adelaide, Steven qualified as a chartered accountant with PwC prior to moving into the spirits industry.

Debs O'Neill

Quintessential Brands Group

Supply Chain Director

Biography

Debs O'Neil

Debs joined Quintessential Brands Group in 2016 as S&OP Director responsible for creating an integrated business management process, alignment and synchronization across the business. Debs spent fifteen years at PepsiCo where she held several senior roles within the Supply Chain Management and Innovation function, most recently as Senior Commercialisation Manager for Tropicana Europe, leading the NPD agenda and managing the implementation of new projects across Europe.

William Ovens

Quintessential Brands Company

International Commercial Director

Biography

William Ovens

William joined the company in 2014 as International Commercial Director responsible for leading Quintessential Brands area directors located in APAC, Europe, Russia and the US. William has over 13 years of FMCG experience in directorial roles including, Managing Director of Simon Howie Foods and previously as Sales and Marketing Director at Presentation Products, a leading supplier of premium packaging to the Spirits industry. For 18 years prior to this, William worked with The Edrington Group, as Area Director for Global Travel Retail and Dawson International subsidiaries as General Export and Licensing Controller for Pringle of Scotland and as Sales Manager for Ballantyne Cashmere.

Jeremy Rockett

Marblehead Brand Development

Managing Director

Biography

Jeremy Rockett

Jeremy joined Marblehead which is owned by Quintessential Brands in 2015 as Managing Director responsible for overseeing brand owners on-trade business growth. Before joining Marblehead Brand Development, Jeremy spent the previous 10 years as Marketing Director of Gonzalez Byass UK, the commercial arm of the Spanish wine company set up in 2004. He was a founder member of that company. Jeremy looked after the marketing of GBUK’s own brands including Beronia, Rioja, Tio Pepe & Croft Original sherry, London No1 Gin, Soberano Brandy, and a number of agencies including Quinta do Noval Port, Jackson Estate from New Zealand, Wirra Wirra from South Australia, Undurraga from Chile and Champagne Deutz.

Mike Salmon

Quintessential Brands Group

Chief Brands Officer

Biography

Mike Salmon

Mike joined Quintessential Brands in 2011 and is Chief Brands Officer and a member of the Executive Board. Mike is responsible for overseeing the company’s branded portfolio. Mike has more than 35 years’ experience in the industry having joined IDV in 1981 and went on to be brand manager responsible for Smirnoff, and the European roll-out of Malibu. Mike joined Berry Brothers & Rudd in 1989 and went on to become Marketing Director and then CEO of Cutty Sark International in 2003 driving it to a leading position in Europe and preparing it for sale to The Edrington Group. In recent years the QB brand portfolio has grown with Greenall’s Original, Opihr, Bloom and Thomas Dakin making up the fastest growing Gin portfolio in the category. QB also has leading positions in Irish Cream and Irish Whiskey with The Feeney’s, Dubliner and Dublin Liberties Brands

Bill Spann

Quintessential Brands Company

CEO, North America

Biography

Bill Spann

Bill joined as CEO of Quintessential Brands North America in 2015. With over forty years experience in company start-ups, senior management and development, Bill has knowledge of resorts, hotels and community development and has overseen the disposition of approximately six hundred million dollars in real estate. With a specific understanding in Marketing and manufacturing, he has also held CEO positions in the alcohol and spirits industry. Bill has extensive international expertise in particular across Europe and the Mideast.

Simon Williams

Quintessential Brands Group

Group Operations Director

Biography

Simon Williams

Simon Williams is renowned in the drinks industry for his proven track record of delivering results and sustained change through strong team leadership, program management and change management skills.

Recognised as one of the 100 most influential logisticians across Europe and with over thirty years’ experience across the full supply chain, he is a highly effective influencer and is experienced in partnering with cross-functional and multi-national teams in both direct and matrix management structures.

A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement, Simon moved to Quintessential Brands from Accolade Wines, the fourth largest global wine company, where he managed a £300m Operations spend and £600m procurement spend. He has also held senior executive positions at Allied Domecq Wines and Avon Cosmetics.

Outside of work, Simon is a fanatical rugby supporter having been a successful player in his youth before injury forced him to the sidelines. That didn’t hamper his enthusiasm for the sport – in fact, he’s been to all the Rugby World Cup Finals bar two and been on four Lions tours.

Simon joined Quintessential Brands in June 2017 and is a member of the Senior Executive Board. He is based in our Warrington office at the G&J distillery but frequently visits our manufacturing sites around the world, working closely with the teams to ensure operations are running as effectively as possible.