SELECTED ENGAGEMENTS
THE WORK.
Real problems. Operator decisions. Measurable outcomes.
LA FÊTE WINE CO. - ST. TROPEZ
Launching a challenger rosé
against entrenched global competitors.
La Fête arrived in the US market with early distribution in a handful of markets, a category dominated by brands with decades of shelf presence, and marketing budgets that dwarfed the entire La Fête operation. The product was exceptional. The brand truth was clear. What didn't exist yet was the commercial infrastructure to scale it nationally: the distributor network, the pricing architecture, the on-premise strategy, the trade relationships.
As COO, I designed the commercial strategy from the ground up. Pricing architecture, margin structures, retail and on-premise positioning, and a distributor network built relationship by relationship. Simultaneously, experiential programming created brand momentum in the accounts that mattered most, establishing credibility with trade buyers before the brand had the legacy to demand it.
Five years later: 2,600+ distribution points nationwide, $11M+ in lifetime sales, 1M+ bottles sold, 90+ point Wine Enthusiast scores, and a position as one of the fastest-growing lifestyle wine brands in the country.
2,600+
Distribution points scaled nationally
$11M+
Lifetime sales
1M+
Bottles sold to date
SUNTORY GLOBAL SPIRITS - NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Turning the worst-performing
state into the best.
Northern California had been Suntory's worst-performing state for five consecutive years. The market had seen leadership turnover, a disengaged sales team, and distributor relationships that had broken down to the point of indifference. The brand was losing ground in one of the most valuable spirits markets in the country.
As Market Director, I rebuilt the team first — 15 people, restored accountability, restored belief. Then the distributor relationships: realigned execution, secured proper programming funding, and gave the field something worth showing up to sell. A luxury on-premise strategy in San Francisco created the momentum that pulled the rest of the market forward.
In twelve months, Northern California went from the bottom of the national ranking to the top. +9% sales growth. $90M in annual revenue. +7.5% CAGR sustained over the following two years.
+9%
Sales growth in year one — worst to first nationally
$90M+
Annual revenue at peak performance
+7.5%
CAGR sustained over three years
MOËT HENNESSY - LAS VEGAS
Turning competitor weakness
into market dominance.
After the 2008 financial crisis, key competitors pulled back from Las Vegas — the most visible luxury market in the US and a bellwether for the entire on-trade. Moët Hennessy had a narrow window to move decisively. Markets like this don't offer second chances.
As Market Director, I designed a multi-year growth blueprint, hired and developed a team of nine sales and field marketing professionals, and built account management practices that made Moët Hennessy the default choice in casino and nightlife programming. The relationships built in those years created a structural advantage that competitors couldn't replicate simply by returning to the market.
The result: +13% CAGR over three years, $36M in annual on-trade revenue, and a five-year growth plan completed in just over three.
+13%
CAGR over three years
$36M
Annual on-trade revenue at market dominance
3 years
To complete a 5-year plan
SUNTORY GLOBAL SPIRITS - PORTFOLIO TRANSFORMATION
Reversing three years of
market share decline in nine months.
Nearly half of the company's annual revenue was tied to underperforming legacy brands. They were dragging down share, profitability, and the attention of the teams responsible for the portfolio's future. The problem wasn't any single brand. Previous stewards had misread the problem entirely. These weren't aspirational brands that needed bigger marketing budgets. They were commodity workhorses that powered the bottling lines, filled the trucks, and defended a significant share of Nielsen and IRI market share. The base business needed defending, not repositioning.
As Senior Marketing Director, I led a cross-functional task force across marketing, sales, finance, operations, and R&D. The work was diagnostic first: which brands to grow, which to harvest, which to exit. Then structural: simplified sourcing, rationalized SKUs, pricing realigned to demand. Then offensive: an innovation roadmap focused on the profitable white space the legacy portfolio couldn't reach.
Three years of market share decline reversed in nine months. Share growth sustained in the quarters that followed. The portfolio that had been the company's biggest drag returned to a stable foundation.
9 months
To reverse three years of market share decline
50%
Of company revenue tied to underperforming brands, restructured
4
Functions aligned: marketing, sales, finance, operations
ADVISORY ENGAGEMENTS
OUTSIDE THE BUILDING.
Not every engagement is an embedded operating role. Some of the most consequential work happens at a distance: due diligence, feasibility, and execution for clients who need a senior operator without a full-time seat at the table.
CONFIDENTIAL CLIENT
PRIVATE EQUITY - PREMIUM SPIRITS
Pre-seed due diligence on an emerging super-premium gin and vodka portfolio.
A PE firm evaluating a potential seed investment in an emerging super-premium spirits portfolio needed operator-level diligence. Not financial modeling, but a commercial and operational feasibility assessment from someone who had built brands in the same category. The question wasn't whether the portfolio was interesting. It was whether it could survive and scale in the US market.
Over 90 days, I conducted a full feasibility study: category dynamics, route-to-market viability, competitive positioning, operational readiness, and the specific risks that financial models don't surface. The assessment concluded with a clear go recommendation and a framework for the first 18 months of commercial deployment.
The firm funded the deal at $3M. Within 24 months of the seed round, the brand closed a Series A, validating both the investment thesis and the operational roadmap.
$3M
Seed funding secured following go recommendation
90 days
From engagement to investment decision
24 months
To Series A close from seed round
CONFIDENTIAL CLIENT
LUXURY STREETWEAR - CHAMPAGNE COLLABORATION
A 3,000-bottle champagne capsule collection from concept to final delivery.
A luxury streetwear brand wanted to launch a champagne capsule collection — a culturally resonant project at the intersection of fashion, hospitality, and premium beverage. The brand knew exactly what it wanted to create. What it didn't have was anyone who understood how to actually get it done: TTB compliance, alcohol import regulations, ocean freight logistics, and the operational complexity of bringing 3,000 bottles from France to final client delivery in the US.
I owned the full operation stack: TTB registration, supplier coordination, ocean freight management, import compliance, and final delivery.
3,000
Bottles produced and delivered on schedule
100%
Regulatory compliance: TTB, import, freight
0
Operational surprises at launch