Spanish drinks group Zamora has strengthened its structure in the US, Canada, and Latin America by appointing Mike Howard as director of its North American arm and André Duarte as director of the company’s Latin American business.
Both Howard and Duarte bring a strong background in brand building, commercial strategy, and market management to the business. Howard previously served as president North America for Stoli Group, while Duarte formerly held senior management roles with Brown-Forman.
Strengthening and accelerating
Zamora Company, which owns brands such as Licor 43, Ramón Bilbao, and Martin Miller’s Gin among other premium wine and spirits brands, has stated that these appointments reflect the company’s commitment to strengthening its regional management capabilities and accelerating the execution of its growth strategy in two priority regions for its international expansion.
In the 2025 financial year, the international market accounted for 54.4% of Zamora’s business.
Based in Dallas, Texas, Howard will take on the leadership of the North American cluster, comprising the US and Canada. Meanwhile, operating from São Paulo, Brazil, Duarte will lead the Latin American cluster, which includes South America, Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.
‘Global vision’
Speaking about the hires, Zamora Comp[any CEO Javier Pijoan said: ¨Our international scale requires combining global vision with local execution. The addition of André and Mike brings two leaders with deep industry expertise to accelerate our growth within our ‘One Agile Global Company’ model, a formula that is delivering excellent results.”
Howard brings more than 25 years of experience in commercial leadership, brand development, and operational management within the industry.
With a career built primarily in the North American market, Howard’s former role as president North America for Stoli Group USA as well as having previously also been the chief commercial officer at Altos Planos have stood him in good stead.
Howard’s background also includes founding and leading Southwest Spirits & Wine and also having held key roles at Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits.
Business development and commercial strategy
Duarte brings more than 30 years of executive experience and a career focused on commercial strategy, business development, distribution, and marketing across Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to having worked in senior management for Brown-Forman, Duarte has also held various leadership roles at William Grant & Sons, including heading the company’s operations in Brazil.
Additionally, Duarte has also worked within companies such as AB InBev, with his expertise spanning markets such as Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and other countries in the region.
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