Chief Executive Officer

The client is seeking a CEO to lead an established, family-owned spirits business in a transition phase, succeeding the founder. The CEO will partner with department managers to develop and coordinate company activities across finance, sales, marketing strategy, market trends and demand, technological change, and organizational growth. The role includes establishing cost-cutting measures to use resources efficiently, analyzing sales data to identify strengths and weaknesses, and ensuring product manufacturing is scheduled and meets quality standards and cost objectives. The CEO is expected to demonstrate strong communication and leadership while “wearing multiple hats” in a small team environment and designing a controlled growth strategy. Responsibilities include promoting the company to win new business, maintaining and expanding supplier relationships to support a sustainable supply chain, and working with industry regulators to ensure adherence to applicable compliance obligations. The CEO will help ensure company policies are followed, recommend and support changes to policies and operating procedures when approved, and identify and reduce costs and areas of waste. The CEO will direct and monitor department supervisors to achieve goals across production, shipping, and receiving, and maintain efficient workflows. They will support manufacturing programs such as training, safety, housekeeping, cost reduction, and worker involvement, and work with plant management to maintain appropriate staffing levels with minimal overhead. The role also includes hiring, training, developing, and evaluating staff, along with coaching, conflict resolution, and discipline; prior experience with safety and enforcement of safety rules and policies is expected. The qualifications include significant experience in the wines and spirits industry in the U.S. (at least a deep familiarity across relevant categories) and supervisory/management experience in a manufacturing or distillery environment, along with an ability to identify process weak spots for efficiency gains and thrive in a fast-paced setting. Confidential