Amber Beverage Group announces changes in UK leadership team

Global spirits company, Amber Beverage Group (ABG), has announced that Sam Thackeray has been appointed Managing Director of Amber Beverage UK (ABUK) and Indie Brands. He takes over from Douglas Cunningham who has been promoted to the ABG Supervisory Board and will become one of its members. The changes take immediate effect.

Sam Thackeray has over 20 years’ experience across the UK’s on- and off-trade, having worked as a sommelier and wine buyer at some of London’s most exclusive restaurants, before spending 15 years at Bibendum and then at Matthew Clark. Sam has spent the last four years as Managing Director of Enotria & Coe.

Sam Thackeray will work closely with Douglas Cunningham until the end of February 2023 to ensure business continuity through a smooth transition.

Jekaterina Stuģe, CEO of Amber Beverage Group, said: “We welcome Sam most warmly to the global ABG team. We also thank Douglas for his substantial contribution to the growth of our UK divisions. He and his UK colleagues have successfully introduced ABG’s core brands to the UK market, added new brands to the portfolio, and achieved successful business performance despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.” 

Speaking of his appointment, Sam Thackeray said that he is delighted to be joining Amber Beverage Group in what promises to be a milestone year for the UK business.

“The breadth of people talent and raw materials for success are all here, and it is a hugely exciting proposition to bring together the considerable weight of both businesses. I look forward to a period of sustained growth and development.”

Cunningham said that it has been a pleasure running ABUK and Indie Brands. I am happy to be handing over the operational reins to Sam and look forward to working with him over the coming weeks to ensure a smooth transition. It has been an honour to see both UK companies grow and flourish, despite the challenges posed by Covid and the economy. I look forward to continuing to support ABG at a supervisory board level and contributing to the continued growth and strategic development of the company.

Amber Beverage Group owns ABUK (previously Cellar Trends) which it acquired in June 2019. ABG has the controlling stake in Indie Brands, which was established by Douglas Cunningham, and which joined ABG in January 2020. ABG plans to acquire the company in total later this year.