Fever-Tree appoints Charles Gibb as North America CEO as it sets up new office

Carbonated mixers maker Fever-Tree has established an office in North America which will be headed up by Charles Gibb.

Gibb joined the company as global strategy director in August 2017 and in his newly created role, he will lead operations across North America. He has held senior executive roles at Moët Hennessy, Diageo and Bacardi across a broad range of global markets and for the past nine years, Gibb has served as president and CEO of Belvedere Vodka, a division of the LVMH Group where he was responsible for the brand's substantial global expansion.

Fever-Tree pointed out that the US premium mixer sector continues to represent a significant opportunity for the group given the existence of the same trends of premiumisation, authenticity and mixability that have been driving its success globally.

As part of the transition, the group has given notice to its US agent, Brands of Britain. It will continue to work closely with the agent over the next six months with formal handover to be completed during the second quarter of next year and after that Fever-Tree will directly manage its current distribution network.

Chief executive officer Tim Warrillow said: "The North American premium mixer market is still at a relatively early stage but the trend towards spirits premiumisation and the increasing focus on simple long drink mixability is accelerating and represents a significant opportunity for Fever-Tree, as the pioneer of the premium mixers segment.

"I am delighted that Charles Gibb has agreed to lead our operations in the region. He brings substantial international experience, a broad range of strategic and commercial skills as well as a proven track record of growing brands to significant scale. I look forward to working closely with him as we build the team and infrastructure in North America."

At 0930 GMT, the shares were up 1.2% to 1,964p.