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Zamora Company USA names CEO
Licor 43 owner Zamora Company has promoted Matt Appleby to the role of CEO for its US business after the retirement of Bill Corbett.
Appleby has been interim CEO for Zamora Company USA since November 2022. He takes over the position from Corbett, who will serve as a senior advisor for Zamora until September 2023.
Appleby joined Zamora Company’s US arm in 2019 as marketing director.
During his time at the firm, Zamora said Appleby has helped it increase net sales by 56% and total volume by 37%.
The company’s flagship Spanish liqueur, Licor 43, posted volume growth of 140% in the States from 2018 to 2022.
“Few companies in this competitive industry have grown as fast and as successfully as Zamora Company USA, and that’s a testament not only to our talented team and our world-class wine and spirits brands, but also to the vision and leadership of the Zamora Family who understood the opportunity and the importance of creating a US-based business cluster here five years ago,” said Appleby.
“I’m proud and honoured to step into this role and take on the privilege of leading and building this organisation into a top 20 wine and spirits supplier in the US.”
Appleby will report to Javier Pijoan, CEO of Zamora Company, which is headquartered in the Spanish capital of Madrid.
“The US is a crucial market for Zamora Company, which we firmly believe could top 30% of our global business within the next several years,” Pijoan added.
The CEO also noted Appleby’s “impressive experience and strategic expertise in this market, coupled with his ability to build and lead high-performing teams”.
Before joining Zamora Company, Appleby spent more than 20 years in senior management roles across sales and marketing at Rebecca Creek Distillery, Rémy Cointreau USA, Brown-Forman, Pernod Ricard, Red Bull North America, and Glazer’s Distributors.
Zamora Company’s spirits portfolio also includes Martin Miller’s Gin and American whiskey Yellow Rose.
Licor 43 recently expanded its ready-to-drink range with a coconut milk-based variant to attract vegans.
The Spanish liqueur is close to selling one million nine-litre cases annually after its sales grew by 22.5% in 2022 to reach 0.98m cases.