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Pinkster hires Diageo exec as sales director
Pinkster has appointed former Diageo executive Martijn van Buuren as sales director to help the British brand “cement its position” as a leading pink gin.
Martijn van Buuren will help establish Pinkster as a leading pink gin brand
Van Buuren, who was most recently on-trade director for Diageo, has 30 years of experience in the spirits industry. He previously held roles at Grand Metropolitan and Guinness.
He will be based at the company’s headquarters in Cambridge, UK, and will be responsible for a 10-strong sales team.
Van Buuren has been working with the pink gin brand as a strategic consultant since early 2016, during which time sales of Pinkster doubled year-on-year.
Stephen Marsh, Pinkster managing director said: “With both Gordon’s and Beefeater unveiling pink gin brand extensions in recent months, this burgeoning sub-category is poised to explode at both a mainstream and a premium level.
“Who better to help us benefit from this colossal opportunity than an industry stalwart of Martijn’s calibre, and we’re delighted to have winkled him out of an early retirement.
“With five years under our belt, Pinkster is no longer a fledgling business and we need to be able to compete with the biggest and the best out there, whilst offering our on-trade accounts the slickest sales support we can.”
Van Buuren said: “Half way through writing the sales director job spec, it suddenly dawned on me that this was the ideal role.
“I’m hugely impressed by what Stephen and the team has achieved to date and relish the opportunity of using my industry insight and contacts to help take the business to the next stage.
“With its authentic and provenance credentials, Pinkster is superbly positioned to capitalise on current consumer trends. It’s an indisputably exciting time for the company and the category, as a whole.”
Last month, Pinkster launched a limited edition spirit, made from recycled raspberries.
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