Board Change

Gusbourne PLC

27 June 2023

 

Gusbourne PLC

("Gusbourne or the Company")

Board Change

Gusbourne Plc, (AIM: GUS) the English sparkling wine producer today announces that Charlie Holland will be stepping down as Chief Executive Officer with effect from 6th September 2023.

The Board will now begin the search process for a new Chief Executive Officer, and a further announcement will be made in due course.

Charlie has decided, after 10 years with the Company to take up a new role as Winemaker at Jackson Family Wines, a globally renowned wine producer. Charlie will continue with his current role until 6^th September 2023 and thereafter will be retained by the Company as a part time consultant for a limited period to assist the wine making team during the 2023 harvest and other winemaking matters.

Jon Pollard, our Chief Vineyard Manager and Chief Operating Officer, will continue to oversee harvest operations and the supply of Gusbourne's high quality grapes which are the bedrock of Gusbourne's premium vintage wine products. As part of long-term succession planning Charlie has recruited and trained a high performing, talented and experienced winemaking team of four people with over 16 years of combined experience in making Gusbourne wines. The production of Gusbourne's sparkling wine remains a long term process and the Company has wine inventories in its cellars to support over four years of future sales.

Charlie Holland, CEO, said:

"It is with great sadness that I will be leaving Gusbourne.  It has been an amazing ten years during which we have forged a wonderful Gusbourne culture, established an experienced and collaborative team to help drive further business growth, and made many award winning wines.  I am sure the Gusbourne team will continue to excel and build upon the achievements of the last decade".

Jim Ormonde, Chairman, said:

"We are enormously grateful to Charlie Holland for his invaluable service over the last ten years and we wish him well in his future role. He has led the business and built up a highly talented team in all key areas of the Company through a period of significant growth and strategic progress. He has also further developed and enhanced Gusbourne's luxury brand status with a growing range of highly acclaimed and award-winning products."

Enquiries:

Gusbourne Plc
Katharine Berry CFO	[phone]
Phil Clark, Investor Relations
Panmure Gordon (UK) Limited (Nomad and Sole Broker)
James Sinclair-Ford / Lauren Riley	[phone]
Hugh Rich
Media
Kate Hoare / Ben Robinson / India Spencer (Houston) [e-mail]	[phone]

Note: This and other press releases are available at the Company's website: www.gusbourneplc.com

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 as amended by regulation 11 of the Market Abuse (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019/310. With the publication of this announcement, this information is now considered to be in the public domain. 

Note to Editors

Gusbourne produces and distributes a range of high quality and award winning vintage English sparkling wines from grapes grown in its own vineyards in Kent and West Sussex.

The Gusbourne business was founded by Andrew Weeber in 2004 with the first vineyard plantings at Appledore in Kent. The first wines were released in 2010 to critical acclaim. Following additional vineyard plantings in 2013 and 2015 in both Kent and West Sussex, Gusbourne now has 93 hectares of mature vineyards. The NEST visitor centre was opened next to the winery in Appledore in 2017, providing tours, tastings and a direct outlet for our wines.

Right from the beginning, Gusbourne's intention has always been to produce the finest English sparkling wines. Starting with carefully chosen sites, we use best practice in establishing and maintaining the vineyards and conduct green harvests to ensure we achieve the highest quality grapes for each vintage. A quest for excellence is at the heart of everything we do. We blind taste hundreds of samples before finalising our blends and even after the wines are bottled, they spend extended time on their lees to add depth and flavour. Once disgorged, extra cork ageing further enhances complexity. Our winemaking process remains traditional, but one that is open to innovation where appropriate. It takes four years to bring a vineyard into full production and a further four years to transform those grapes into Gusbourne's premium sparkling wine.

Gusbourne's luxury brand enjoys premium price positioning and is distributed in the finest establishments both in the UK and abroad. Our wines can be found in leading luxury retailers, restaurants, hotels and stockists, always being aware that where we are says a lot about who we are.

 

END