Quintessential Brands names James Lousada as CEO

Spirits company Quintessential Brands has appointed James Lousada as its new CEO, effective immediately.

Lousada succeeds Warren Scott, who co-founded Quintessential in 2011 with former Gruppo Campari CEO, Enzo Visone. Scott continues to serve with the company as a non-executive director.

Prior to joining Quintessential as managing director in 2019, Lousada served in roles that included CEO of Carlsberg UK and general manager Europe at Accolade Wines.

Under Lousada’s leadership, Quintessential is aiming to further strengthen its business in the UK, where it has risen to become one of the leading suppliers of spirits to the off-trade.

“In today’s world, where many operators are looking for category solutions and for guidance on how to respond to the seismic changes this year has brought and their impact on consumer behaviour, Quintessential Brands is very well-placed to help,” said Quintessential CEO, Lousada.

“We’re committed to being the supplier that our customers know they can trust to always deliver, be it with innovative product development, first-class customer service or credible, cutting-edge insights, and we will continue to prove this as we support our customers through the challenging months ahead.”

Quintessential has also announced that Rob Curteis has joined the company’s senior executive team as the newly appointed group marketing director.

Brands in the Quintessential portfolio include Greenall’s, Bloom and Opihr Gin, as well as The Dubliner Irish Whiskey and The Dead Rabbit Irish Whiskey.

Earlier this year, Quintessential named Alex Pollard as chief finance officer as the company looked to accelerate the growth of its business internationally.

In March 2019, the company announced plans to reorganise its North American operations to form a standalone business entity covering all of North America. The move represented the business’s first independent venture outside of Europe.