Bacardi new hires

Young (l) will have commercial responsibility for Bacardí’s brands in the UK and report into Almond (r)

Bacardí has announced the appointment of Steve Young as its new business unit director for UK & Ireland, and Amanda Almond as its managing director for northern Europe.

In the newly created role Young would be responsible for driving sales of brands including Bacardí rum, Martini vermouth, Bombay Sapphire gin and Patrón tequila, Bacardí said.

A 10-year Bacardí veteran, Young was most recently the company’s senior director for on-trade growth in western Europe.

He will report into Almond, who will be responsible for leading Bacardí’s business in northern Europe markets including the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Nordics.

Almond was most recently managing director for Bacardí in Iberia & Greece. In four years in the role, she had grown the company’s share from fourth to third biggest in Spain, Bacardí said.

Before moving to Spain, she was MD for Bacardí in the UK & Ireland, where she achieved “year-on-year growth for five successive years”, it added.

“In the four years I’ve been away from the UK, the industry has changed more than anyone could imagine,” Almond said. “What’s not changed is the value of our portfolio. We have premium brands that consumers recognise for their quality and continue to demand, however challenging the economic climate.”

Young and Almond’s replacements are yet to be announced by Bacardí.