Diageo, a global leader in the spirits industry, announces the strategic reorganisation of its Italian sales team with the aim of accelerating market share growth and optimising business performance. Following the appointment of Roberta Fontana as Sales Director last February, the team is further strengthened thanks to the exploitation of talents grown within Diageo and who will report directly to Fontana.

The three new appointments are:

• Andrea Vicenzo, head of On Trade Italia. Previously head of the Reserve business in Italy, he will lead the sales team for the wholesale and Cash&Carry channel. He will be responsible for the development of the company’s route to market strategy, aimed at strengthening synergy with existing business partners and creating new business opportunities. It will ensure the development of the entire prestigious Diageo portfolio, with a particular focus on premium brands and innovation. In her long career at Diageo, the manager has held various roles of increasing responsibility. His previous experiences are confirmed in the world of luxury at Velier S.p.a., the spirit distributor based in Genoa led by Luca Gargano, and William Grant & Sons.
• Marco Gravili, head of Reserve Italia. Will guide the Reserve business strategy for Italy on all channels, developing the business and ensuring the right focus, plan and implementation. He will be responsible for significantly increasing the presence of Reserve in the market by promoting the award and spreading the culture of the group’s premium brands. Gravili joined Diageo in 2014 as an Account Executive and has gained growing experience in customer management and people management in various functions both On and Off Trade. He also has previous experience at Coca-Cola HBC.
• Paolo Tedeschi, head of Off-Trade Italy. Will be responsible for leading the Spirits category award in the Off-Trade channel, as well as overseeing the execution of the business strategy to ensure profitable growth for gdo customers. Tedeschi joined Diageo Europe in 2019 as International Key Accounts Director. Prior to joining Diageo, he gained significant experience at Henkel, Nestlé and The Coca-Cola Company, holding a variety of roles in both domestic and international marketing, trade marketing and sales.

"We are proud to cultivate extraordinary talents within Diageo and we are committed to supporting their professional development and enhancing their leadership capabilities -says Roberta Fontana, sales director of Diageo Italy-. I am sure that our new directors will be able to grow our excellent brands, creating new business opportunities and strengthening the link with our customers and consumers".