LONDON 25 October 2022 In response to continuing growth in demand for its circular packaging technology, ecoSPIRITS has bolstered its global sales team with a series of senior appointments over the last two months, including Iain McPherson as Sales Director, Europe; Jessica Berry as Sales Director, North America; and James Wynn-Williams as Sales Manager, Asia Pacific. Additionally, drinkx +, a Miami-based sales consultancy firm led by industry veteran Chris Hopkins, has been appointed to the role of national sales agent in the United States. Together, the newcomers bolster ecoSPIRITS’ capabilities with more than seven decades of sales and market experience across some of the industry’s largest brands, distributors and wholesalers. The expanded global sales team will work closely with ecoSPIRITS’ worldwide network of Licensed Operators and Climate Partners to accelerate the transition to circular packaging in spirits and wine.
ecoSPIRITS' global network of closed loop service will grow to cover 25 countries by early 2023
In the newly-created role of Sales Director for Europe, Iain McPherson will help navigate ecoSPIRITS’ rapid expansion across the region. McPherson moves across from the United Kingdom’s largest wholesaler, Matthew Clark, where he most recently held the role of Managing Director for Scotland. In this role he was responsible for leading a £100 million business, overseeing a team of 130 and serving more than 2,500 on-premise customers. He has also held roles in wine and beer sales and business development with WaverlyTBS and Scottish & Newcastle. Based in ecoSPIRITS’ growing London office, McPherson is also responsible for ecoSPIRITS’ strategic customer relationships in the region, such as its collaborations with industry leaders such as Pernod Ricard and Diageo. McPherson will also manage a pipeline of new Licensed Operators and markets, including the recently announced ecoSPIRITS Central Europe, ecoSPIRITS Ireland, and ecoSPIRITS Switzerland. He also recently led ecoSPIRITS’ presence at Bar Convent Berlin and Whisky Live Paris.
LONDON 25 October 2022 In response to continuing growth in demand for its circular packaging technology, ecoSPIRITS has bolstered its global sales team with a series of senior appointments over the last two months, including Iain McPherson as Sales Director, Europe; Jessica Berry as Sales Director, North America; and James Wynn-Williams as Sales Manager, Asia Pacific. Additionally, drinks+, a Miami-based sales consultancy firm led by industry veteran Chris Hopkins, has been appointed to the role of national sales agent in the United States. Together, the newcomers bolster ecoSPIRITS’ capabilities with more than seven decades of sales and market experience across some of the industry’s largest brands, distributors and wholesalers. The expanded global sales team will work closely with ecoSPIRITS’ worldwide network of Licensed Operators and Climate Partners to accelerate the transition to circular packaging in spirits and wine.
ecoSPIRITS' global network of closed loop service will grow to cover 25 countries by early 2023
In the newly-created role of Sales Director for Europe, Iain McPherson will help navigate ecoSPIRITS’ rapid expansion across the region. McPherson moves across from the United Kingdom’s largest wholesaler, Matthew Clark, where he most recently held the role of Managing Director for Scotland. In this role he was responsible for leading a £100 million business, overseeing a team of 130 and serving more than 2,500 on-premise customers. He has also held roles in wine and beer sales and business development with WaverlyTBS and Scottish & Newcastle. Based in ecoSPIRITS’ growing London office, McPherson is also responsible for ecoSPIRITS’ strategic customer relationships in the region, such as its collaborations with industry leaders such as Pernod Ricard and Diageo. McPherson will also manage a pipeline of new Licensed Operators and markets, including the recently announced ecoSPIRITS Central Europe, ecoSPIRITS Ireland, and ecoSPIRITS Switzerland. He also recently led ecoSPIRITS’ presence at Bar Convent Berlin and Whisky Live Paris.
“I count it a privilege and fantastic opportunity to join ecoSPIRITS. The response from brands, distributors, and venues from all over the world has been incredibly humbling. ecoSPIRITS technology offers all our partners the ability to make huge progress in removing waste and reducing CO2 in their supply chain and enabling consumers to make choices that really make a difference to the impact we are having on this planet.”
Meanwhile, ecoSPIRITS has appointed Jessica Berry in the newly-created role of Sales Director for North America, where she will oversee sales and expansion in the all-important United States market, as well as regional partnerships in Canada and the Caribbean. Berry has worked with some of the largest brands in the world, having previously held roles at Diageo and Patron Spirits Company, and she has extensive experience in brand building, distributor partnerships and people management. Prior to joining ecoSPIRITS, she held the position of Vice President of Sales for Rosaluna Mezcal where she was responsible for executing a US launch plan in the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, developing a successful growth strategy, and building a national distributor footprint in more than 10 key states. She has worked closely with many distributor partners across the United States and has the know-how and relationships with key stakeholders to successfully launch ecoSPIRITS in North America.
“Joining the ecoSPIRITS team and having the opportunity to launch a new technology that will greatly reduce the waste in our industry is a dream come true! It’s an issue that has frustrated the drinks industry for some time and I know that many in North America are ready to welcome a solution that will help them move away from single use glass. I can’t wait to use my experience to help make a positive impact on our world, and I hope many will join me!”
As ecoSPIRITS prepares to enter the US market under its joint venture with alcoholic beverage importer and distributor, Park Street, it has appointed drinkx +, a sales consultancy led by Chris Hopkins, as a national sales agent for the ecoSPIRITS technology. Under Hopkins’ leadership, drinkx + will focus on ecoSPIRITS’ technology partnerships with leading regional and national hospitality operators and outlet chains. Hopkins, who is also the founder of Hashtag Mixology, was previously Corporate Mixologist for Wynn Resorts, where he oversaw the beverage training and development for 27 different bars and restaurants with a team of more than 200 bartenders. He founded Cocktail Roadshow, a global hospitality consultancy specializing in beverage development, training, and event management for hospitality companies, and he has also worked closely with Bacardi USA, where he grew the brand and mentored a team of ambassadors.
“It’s exciting to be able to play a part in bringing ecoSPIRITS to the US and I am looking forward to introducing this innovative technology to some of the region’s leading regional and national hospitality operators. Sustainability is such a big focal point for many in the industry and drinkx + is ready to work with ecoSPIRITS as it continues to transition people to the circular economy.”
Completing the line-up of new sales team appointments is James Wynn-Williams, who joins as ecoSPIRITS’ Sales Manager for Asia Pacific. Wynn-Williams previously worked as the Australian Sales Manager for Proof & Company, one of the region’s leading independent spirits distributors and the licensed operator for the ecoSPIRITS technology in Australia. In this role, he led a national sales team calling on more than 1,000 on-premise customers across five states and built the ecoSPIRITS closed loop network in Australia from launch to more than 300 active accounts. In his new role, he is responsible for ecoSPIRITS customers and partnerships across the Asia Pacific region, including the launch of closed loop service with Pernod Ricard in Singapore and Diageo in Indonesia, and the rollout of ecoSPIRITS’ SmartKiosk technology in Singapore with Proof & Company and DFI Retail Group, a pan-Asian retailer operating more than 10,200 outlets across the region.
“Having worked for Proof & Company for the past three years meant I was involved in the early days of ecoSPIRITS as it launched in Asia in 2018 and 2019, and I watched it go from strength-to-strength. It’s fantastic to now be working even more closely with this innovative closed loop technology. I am also particularly excited by the company’s first move into the retail environment, starting in the Asia Pacific region.”
Paul Gabie, CEO, ecoSPIRITS
“ecoSPIRITS continues to experience a remarkable level of interest in our technology, and in the circular economy transition in general. With a growing portfolio of global brand partnerships and more than four hundred prospective brand partners on our network waiting list, ecoSPIRITS is investing heavily in our capacity to serve our partners wherever we are present. Welcoming Iain, Jessica, drink+ and James to our global sales team reflects the depth of our commitment to serving those partners – our Licensed Operators and Climate Partners – to the very best of our ability.”
The ecoSPIRITS technology is now available in more than 14 countries and 30 cities across Asia Pacific, Europe, and the Americas. The expansion of ecoSPIRITS’ global sales team will help accelerate the company’s rollout of the world’s first low carbon, low waste distribution technology for spirits and wine, with coverage now expected to expand to 25 countries by early 2023. To find out more information about opportunities to partner with ecoSPIRITS in Europe, please contact Iain McPherson at [email protected], in North America, please contact Jessica Berry at [email protected] and in Asia Pacific, please contact James Wynn-Williams at [email protected]. For media inquiries or general information on ecoSPIRITS, you may contact Sonya Hook, Senior PR Manager at [email protected].
About ecoSPIRITS
ecoSPIRITS is a circular economy technology company that has developed the world’s first low carbon, low waste distribution technology for premium spirits and wine. Our patent-pending closed loop system nearly eliminates all packaging waste in the supply chain. By dramatically reducing packaging and transport, ecoSPIRITS provides both a powerful cost advantage and a transformative carbon footprint reduction. Founded in Singapore in 2018, the ecoSPIRITS technology is now available in more than 14 countries and 30 cities across Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas. More than 1,000 leading bars, restaurants, hotels and retailers have adopted the technology, including Michelin-starred restaurants, World’s 50 Best and Asia’s 50 Best bars and iconic hotels. ecoSPIRITS is now rapidly building a global network of closed loop service, with coverage to grow to 25 countries worldwide by early 2023. Together with our brand partners, importers, distributors, wholesalers, venues, and retailers, we are already making a difference. Each year, ecoSPIRITS and our partners are eliminating hundreds of tons of single use glass waste, planting tens of thousands of trees, and inspiring others to change.