William Grant CEO to step down

William Grant & Sons’ chief executive Stella David is stepping down as CEO, effective at the end of February 2016.

Stella David has been at William Grant & Sons since 2009 (Photo: William Grant & Sons)

The spirits company, which owns brands like Hendricks’s gin and The Balvenie, has confirmed chief commercial officer Simon Hunt will take over.

David is leaving the position to focus on expanding her portfolio of non-executive directorships, the company said in a statement. She has been at William Grant since 2009.

David holds non-executive positions on the board of C&J Clark Ltd and HomeServe plc, and spent seven years as a non-executive director of Nationwide Building Society.

“I am immensely proud of my time at William Grant & Sons and there is no doubt that there is a huge amount I am going to miss about the company,” said David.

“It has been an incredible journey, with a focus on building brands, planning for the long term, working with a talented array of people and very supportive family shareholders.  I wish the company every success for the future.”

Since joining the company, David has overseen the acquisition of Tullamore D.E.W. Irish Whiskey and Scotch whisky liqueur brand Drambuie.

Glenn Gordon, William Grant & Sons chairman, said: “We are all very grateful for Stella’s enormous contribution to the business in recent years.”

Simon Hunt, who will take over her role, has been with William Grant & Sons since October 2007, initially as the managing director for North America.

In April 2013 he was promoted to his current position of chief commercial officer.

Hunt said: “I am delighted to be given the opportunity to lead the great team at William Grant & Sons and build on the strong momentum we have been achieving with our world class, premium brands.”