Australian spirits company Four Pillars Gin has appointed long-time Bacardi Martini executive David Hogan as Director of Global Travel Retail.
Hogan, who assumes the role on 19 September, has been with Bacardi Martini for 14 years, for the past six as Global Travel Retail (GTR) Regional Manager for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.
Australia-born and US-raised, Hogan has also worked in the Bacardi GTR team focused on the North American and cruise line channels when he was based out of Florida from 2008 to 2016. Four Pillars Gin said Hogan has been responsible for tremendous growth and activations, especially for the Bombay Sapphire brand, in most of the key Pacific region airports.
Gin, cult favourite Bloody Shiraz Gin (above) and Navy Strength Gin. It also produces a range of barrel-aged gins.
Four Pillars Co-founder and Trade Director Stuart Gregor said he was excited at the experience and professionalism that Hogan will bring to the Four Pillars business, which is based just outside Melbourne at Healesville in the Yarra Valley, Victoria.
“It is an exciting time for us at Four Pillars with the world opening up again and GTR resuming trading with a fantastic uplift and renewed enthusiasm,” Gregor said.
“Before lockdowns we had entered the top ten gins across the globe in GTR in value terms and we would like to find our way back to that spot again and David will help us realise this ambition.
“We were lucky in a way to find David already back in Australia as COVID saw him return to Australia and his native Queensland where he has recently had his first child. He brings real excitement and energy to our business.’’
Hogan will also look after Four Pillars’ fast-growing international trade business, which now embraces 30 markets worldwide.
“It is a great time to be joining Australia’s best spirits brand,” Hogan said. “In my previous role I saw how fast the brand is growing and how much Australians really love Four Pillars and now we just need to spread that love further across the GTR world.
“While we are inevitably focused on growth outside our borders it is also especially exciting to see the tender for our home airport [Melbourne] continuing at a pace and we are sure whoever wins that tender will have a real partner in Four Pillars moving forward.”
