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Campari names Simon Hunt CEO
The former boss of William Grant & Sons, Simon Hunt, has been selected as the new CEO for Italy’s Campari Group.
Hunt has more than 30 years of experience in the spirits industry, working for companies such as Diageo, Pernod Ricard, and William Grant & Sons, where he was CEO for nearly five years.
Hunt will take over the new role at Campari from interim co-CEOs Paolo Marchesini (chief financial and operating officer) and Fabio Di Fede (chief legal and M&A officer).
They took on the joint position after Campari CEO Matteo Fantacchiotti resigned in September 2024 due to personal reasons, after fewer than six months in the role.
Campari’s board of directors nominated Hunt for the CEO position following a ‘thorough assessment’ of internal and external candidates.
Campari Group recently reported a sales drop of 1.4% in the third quarter of 2024. The group has also created several new divisions to house its brands: the House of Cognac & Champagne; the House of Aperitifs; the House of Whiskey and Rum; and the House of Tequila.
‘Extensive industry experience’
Luca Garavoglia, group chairman, welcomed Hunt to Campari Group.
“His proven and extensive industry experience and leadership in building and scaling premium and luxury brands on a global scale will be instrumental as he leads Campari Group through its next phase of growth,” Garavoglia said.
“I am confident that Simon’s background, personality, energy, leadership and drive will take Campari Group to new heights as we continue to execute our growth strategy and evolve into our new Houses of Brands operating model.”
Garavoglia also expressed his “deep gratitude” to the interim CEOs for “ensuring a successful governance transition”.
Hunt served 14 years at Scottish spirits company William Grant & Sons, producer of Glenfiddich whisky. During his time at the firm, he held roles such as president and managing director of North America and chief commercial officer, before becoming CEO from 2016 to 2020.
A dual British and Australian citizen, Hunt began his career at Diageo, where he held numerous roles including vice-president of global marketing for Smirnoff.
After Diageo, he joined Allied Domecq as senior vice-president of global innovation and executive vice-president of marketing North America, before moving to Pernod Ricard as CEO and president of Malibu-Kahlua International.
More recently, Hunt became CEO of Catalyst Spirits in 2022, where he led the company’s ‘digitally native’ premium spirits brands. Campari Group took a minority stake and distribution rights in the business in 2022.
Hunt said: “During my more than three decades of experience within the spirits industry, I have always held Campari Group in the highest regard for its unique history, strong portfolio of iconic brands, company culture, and continuous outperformance and stellar growth story.
“I am honoured and excited to take on this extraordinary opportunity and I look forward to working with Campari Group’s talented leadership team and organisation to continue to build on the company’s heritage and success built over the past decades, and to take Campari Group’s potential and growth ambition to its next level.”
Hunt will become CEO of Campari Group on 15 January 2025 following a general meeting.
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