Edrington's John Soden joins Brockmans Gin

John Soden has been annouced as Brockman Gin's new sales director. Based in Florida, he will work closely with the other members of the Brockmans management team to build on the already successful international sales growth of the brand.

John was most recently a vice president responsible for strategy and development at Edrington Americas, owner of a number of top spirits brands. Prior to that, he was for three years a business unit director at Pernod Ricard USA, leading a large team of staff and significantly growing the value of the business.

Other previous job roles include: MD of Dublin-based Phoenix Strategic Management; MD of Castle Brands in Dublin; GM of Woodford Bourne/Direct Wine Shipments, part of DCC Group; as well as a number of other senior roles in drinks companies targeting the USA, as well as Ireland and other European territories.

He holds an MA from Trinity College, Dublin and an MBA from The Anderson School at UCLA.

He joins Brockmans to further develop the brand's route to market capabilities and coverage across Europe and the US in a move which forms part of a broader team expansion strategy for the company.

In 2015, the Brockmans brand enjoyed a year on year increase in the UK of 200% with a rise in international sales of over 50%.

The brand is already strong in Spain, where sales are up 23% each year, as well as the UK and the US. Brockmans is also sold in Australia, Canada, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, Ireland, Germany and Switzerland, with plans to further expand this global footprint during 2016.

Neil Everitt, chief executive of Brockmans Gin, says: "We're excited to be bringing our gin to people across the world and delighted that John Soden has joined us to help us move to the important next stage in the brand's development. John comes to us with a wealth of experience in the drinks sector and we welcome him very warmly."

John Soden says: "I am excited to be joining the fantastic team of professionals at Brockmans Gin at a time when we have a significant opportunity for further growth in both existing and new international markets. I have watched Brockmans Gin grow from the very beginning. The brand is a standout in the modern gin category and truly delivers on its brand promise of ‘a gin like no other'."

20 January 2016 - Rebecca Sterritt Paragraph Publishing, content manager