Kirkwood Diamond Canada names Chris Terrio as President.
OAKVILLE, Ont. — With a resumé that boasts 30 years of international executive leadership experience — including two decades in the beverage alcohol sector — Christopher S. Terrio has been appointed the new president of Kirkwood Diamond Canada.
The appointment of Mr. Terrio is the first major change made by the company since total ownership of Kirkwood Diamond Partnership was assumed by Diamond Estates Wine & Spirits in May. He replaces Gord Haist, who has retired after 30 years in the industry.
Mr. Terrio spent more than 18 years at Heineken N.V. in the United States, Europe and Canada as well as senior executive roles with Coca-Cola Canada and Consumer Impact Marketing.
“We see a tremendous opportunity in the beverage alcohol business and being able to secure the experience, drive and track record of someone like Chris is a major step in that direction “ says Murray Souter, President and CEO of Diamond Estates Wine & Spirits. “We’re in the business of connecting global brands with consumers on a national basis in an ever-changing retail environment and that requires the discipline of a consumer marketer, a belief in shared success, an understanding of channels and a global perspective. That’s what Chris brings to the role.”
Prior to joining Kirkwood Diamond, Mr. Terrio was President and Chief Executive of CROSSMARK Canada Inc., an international Sales & Marketing Agency that delivers integrated retail services and solutions to food and beverage and consumer packaged goods partners, including major brands such as Proctor & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson and many others.
“I am extremely excited to be leading Kirkwood Diamond and returning to my beverage alcohol roots,” says Mr. Terrio. “The potential for growth and expanded opportunities with our business partners is truly unlimited and I am excited about the opportunity to deliver value to both partners and shareholders. I’ve been fortunate to have gained global experience working for, and with, iconic global brands including Heineken and Coca-Cola and I believe this knowledge will be very valuable to our current and future partners.”
Kirkwood Diamond Canada (KDC) is a national sales and marketing agency for more than 100 Canadian and International beverage alcohol brands and is a wholly owned division of Diamond Estates Wine & Spirits Inc.
A sampling of brands in the KDC portfolio includes Fat Bastard wines from France, Kaiken wines from Argentina, Iceberg Vodka from Canada, Charles Wells beers from England, Hpnotiq Liqueur from France, Anciano wines from Spain, Josh wines from California, Francois Lurton wines from France and Argentina, Glengoyne whiskies from Scotland, Blue Nun wines from Germany, Brick Brewing from Canada (Waterloo and Landshark), Evan Williams Bourbon from USA, coolers and spirits from Independent Distillers in New Zealand and many, many more.
About Diamond Estates Wines and Spirits Inc.
In addition to owning Kirkwood Diamond Canada, Diamond Estates Wines and Spirits Inc. is a producer of high quality wines, operating two wineries in the Niagara region of Ontario, producing a variety of well-known and award-winning VQA wines including 20 Bees, EastDell, Lakeview Cellars, FRESH, Dan Aykroyd, Benchmark and Seasons. Diamond Estates Wine and Spirits is publicly traded on the TSVX under the stock symbol DWS. For further information on the company, please visit the company’s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.
