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Banfi announces new chief commercial and strategy officer
Italian wine producer and importer Banfi has announced that Jenn Engel will be returning to the company as chief commercial and strategy officer following her previous tenure from 2008 to 2015.
Jenn Engel has been welcomed as chief commercial and strategy officer, Banfi Vintners, as part of the company’s expansion of its executive team.
Engel’s hire comes less than five years after Banfi elected to streamline its portfolio in order to prioritise “its proprietary labels of affordable luxury wines”, the company said in a press release.
Engel returns to Banfi having previously worked at the company between 2008 and 2015, holding roles including national business manager of fine wines.
Following her time at Banfi, Engel served as the VP of sales and a member of the board of directors at Santa Margherita USA.
Most recently, she spent four years at the Republic National Distributing Company, where she became the first female chief customer and commercial officer in the beverage alcohol wholesale distribution industry. Engel also served on the board for the WSWA’s Women’s Leadership Council and received the WSWA Movers and Shakers Award in 2023.
In her new role, Engel will oversee Banfi Vintners sales and marketing, distributor relations, and contribute to shaping the strategic trajectory of the portfolio.
She said of her new role: “While my passion is for the fine wine business, returning to the company is a testament to Banfi’s commitment to the premium category.”
Founded 1919 in New York City, Banfi continues to be solely owned by the Mariani family with Cristina Mariani-May as proprietor and CEO. The company retains ownership of its Castello Banfi vineyard estate in Montalcino, Tuscany, where many of its wines are produced.
The Mariani family is also owner of US Pacific Northwest based Pacific Rim & Company with projects from AVAs across Washington state and Willamette Valley, Oregon. The Banfi portfolio also includes ownership interest in leading organic brand Natura wines, produced by Emiliana Organic Vineyards, Chile.
Banfi’s Poggio Alle Mura Brunello di Montalcino DOCG wine won a Gold medal at this year’s Spring Tasting. Read more about the results here.