Meet the
drinks experts on
your side
Spanning industry and globe, our team is diverse in approach and expertise. We live & breathe drinks and are united in our commitment to make your brand the best it can be.
Meet the team
Based all over the UK, Europe and the US, our team boasts global mindsets and localised insight to get you further faster.
Heidi Dillon
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
With 25+ years of visionary marketing experience, Heidi has led groundbreaking initiatives in emerging drinks, wellness and consumer trends. With DV, Heidi spearheaded the world’s first non-alcoholic drinks practice and championed our Pre-Accelerator to change the face of the industry by supporting underrepresented founders.
Frank Lampen
Founder & Chair
DV co-founder Frank leverages 15+ years drinks industry experience to help founders achieve game-changing pivots that drive rapid growth. A serial entrepreneur, Frank has set up several successful businesses and advised dozens more inside and outside of drinks. He holds deep expertise in structuring deals, executing launch strategies and pinpoint brand positioning.
Gareth Bath
Managing Director - Rest of World
Gareth oversees day-to-day operations for the London-based team, guiding key organisational strategies to maintain DV's competitive edge as an industry leader. Leveraging his commercial acumen, he works closely with founders to hone their leadership capabilities for greater success. Gareth also elevates DV's portfolio through strategic profiling with industry stakeholders.
Kamuti Kiteme
MANAGING DIRECTOR - INCLUSIVE INVESTMENT PROGRAMS
Kamuti is an entrepreneur, expert communicator and cultivator of authentic connections with 25+ years experience building early-stage ventures and championing diversity, equity and inclusion. At DV, Kamuti helps elevate our DEI initiatives, and supercharge our Pre-Accelerator and diverse-owned portfolio.
Dan Shrimpton
MANAGING DIRECTOR - FINANCE & INVESTMENTS
Dan is strategic multi-tool with 15+ years in food and bev. A successful founder himself, his deep finance and marketing experience give founders invaluable insight and direction in financial planning, business modelling and sales strategy for accelerated growth.
Justin Lew
MANAGING DIRECTOR - NORTH AMERICA
Having worked with drinks giants and startups for decades, Justin manages the day-to-day operations of the NY-based team. An experienced brand marketer, Justin provides founders with data-driven strategies rooted in consumer insights. Leveraging his deep expertise, Justin crafts integrated marketing programs that enhance consumer connections, drive growth and elevate brand value.
Holly Browne
GLOBAL SEARCH & INSIGHTS MANAGER
With nine years in insight and analysis, Holly has a deep understanding of changing consumer trends and a passion for disruptive, innovative brands. Having led global research in food and drink retail, FMCGs, e-commerce and shopper missions, Holly’s well equipped to find the next iconic brands of the future.
Karen Xiang
INVESTMENT MANAGER
With deep expertise in startups, early-stage investing, private equity and investment banking, Karen has led investment teams across the CPG and e-commerce ecosystem, M&A strategy, transaction execution and integration efforts. With DV, she seeks to expand the North American spirits and non-alcoholic portfolio by partnering with the next generation of talented founders.
Krishen Jani
GLOBAL INVESTMENT ASSOCIATE
With a background in the VC space on tech and life science investments, Krishen supports existing portfolio companies, helping them to scale and realise their full potential. He also works on new investments to expand the spirits and non-alcoholic portfolio in Rest of World and NA.
Scott Rosenbaum
SEARCH MANAGER - NORTH AMERICA
With 20+ years in drinks, Scott has worked in retail, importing and distribution with a focus on identifying and building nascent craft spirit brands. Inspired by design thinking and analytical reasoning, Scott loves helping founders find the best ways to tell their stories, motivate their salespeople and educate their partners.
Brad Wright
PORTFOLIO FINANCE DIRECTOR - NORTH AMERICA
Brad brings 10+ years in finance and marketing for industry-leading drinks innovators. His unrivalled understanding of scalability planning and preparation is a secret weapon, driving commercial performance for our North America portfolio.
Kathryn Wellemeyer
INVESTMENT DIRECTOR - ROW
Kathryn has 10+ years' experience in private equity and M&A as well as strategic business roles in drinks. Committed to helping brands become the global leaders of the future, Kathryn seeks investments that reach new categories, markets, occasions and consumers for our non-US portfolio.
Franziska Werner
INTERNAL FINANCE MANAGER
With 5+ years in banking and startup finance, Fran adeptly manages DV’s internal finances, providing a steady foundation for all DV operations. Using her extensive experience in commercial finance, financial reporting and business operations, Fran ensures timely, accurate and comprehensive reporting for all stakeholders.
Chris Young
PORTFOLIO FINANCE DIRECTOR - REST OF WORLD
With 10 years in finance - seven of which in drinks - trained management accountant Chris leverages best-practice financial insights and astute analysis of commercial performance to prepare and guide our portfolio through rapid, sustainable growth.
Zoe Decool
PORTFOLIO BRAND & ACCELERATION DIRECTOR
With 15+ years specialising in brand, Zoe has built a deep understanding of how brands work within culture. She helps global companies develop great positioning, messaging, design, communications and content which resonate with what’s happening right now and drive commercial objectives.
Jennie Leuzarder
PORTFOLIO DIRECTOR - NORTH AMERICA
With nearly two decades of visionary brand and commercial marketing expertise spanning all tiers of US drinks, Jennie has a multifaceted background in distribution, agency, startups and consulting. Jennie develops integrated marketing strategies that fuel growth and amplify brand value for our North American portfolio.
Sophie Lecocq Saunders
E-COMMERCE DIRECTOR
Sophie, our global ecom guru, is a strategy leader with experience across startups, scale-ups and established multichannel FMCG and DTC brands. Sophie helps our portfolio devise, implement and optimise ecom strategies for brand-building and commercial objectives by identifying best practice and emerging digital trends that deliver unbeatable customer experience.
Sarah Roupell
HEAD OF CONSUMER & CUSTOMER INSIGHT
Sarah has 10+ years’ experience in global food and drink insight discovery. Her consumer-first mindset translates category insight into brand, innovation and distribution strategies, enabling rapid, sustainable growth for our portfolio.
Calum McFarlane
HEAD OF TRADE MARKETING
With nine years across every role in trade marketing, Calum is a master of leveraging data to develop and execute channel marketing solutions that deliver the triple win: for the brand, for the customer and for consumers. Working closely with our team of brand, marketing and commercial specialists, Calum unlocks portfolio sales with ultra-effective channel strategy.
Raquel Royers
SENIOR DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER
Bringing nine years’ experience in drinks-focused digital marketing, social media strategy, influencer marketing, and DTC e-commerce, Raquel excels at helping brands authentically connect with customers in the digital space. She helps our US portfolio create and execute digital marketing and ecom sales plans that drive rapid, sustainable growth.
Ara Carvallo
PORTFOLIO AND I&D DIRECTOR
An international brand strategist and serial entrepreneur, Ara has 25+ years in spirits launching many successful projects and consulting for established and startup spirits brands worldwide. Committed to driving sustainable, inclusive, and profitable ventures, Ara founded the world’s first zero carbon bar show. Leveraging her extensive finance and marketing expertise, Ara helps founders accelerate their growth to attain global recognition.
Jayne Travis
Head of Creative Services
Jayne boasts a dynamic career exceeding two decades, encompassing diverse roles within the creative industry, including artists' agent, designer, account manager, and creative recruiter. For the last 15+ years she has focused purely on Creative Services – establishing and leading creative teams both in-house and agency side. She brings expertise in understanding the different talents needed to develop creative work, as well as the operational processes and management needed to enable creative talent to deliver their best work.Jayne's experience brings a rich approach to curating and overseeing the DV creative network, as well as helping founders navigate their creative work streams through tailored project support.
Evis Savvides
PRESIDENT OF NORTH AMERICA COMMERCIAL
With 20+ years leading effective teams in drinks, Evis focuses on growth and scale planning and operations for all our US brands. Evis is passionate about leveraging his experience to unlock the potential that will shape the future of drinks.
Emily Welcker
COMMERCIAL PLANNING & ANALYSIS DIRECTOR
Emily brings 10+ years’ drinks experience focused on data-led business intelligence and commercial strategy. Responsible for shaping commercial strategy, Emily leverages data to uncover valuable insights that drive commercial success and shape the future of drinks.
Kristine Makianich
Commercial Analytics Manager
Kristine joins Distill Ventures with five years of experience in the beverage alcohol industry, particularly in sales finance and analytics. She has held roles with the distributor network (Young’s Market/RNDC) and the supplier side (McBride Sisters Wine Company, BeatBox Beverages) focusing on compiling commercial performance data, deriving insights, and supporting commercial strategy. At DV, Kristine supports the DV team in driving brand acceleration through business intelligence.
Charlie Steel
Whisky Portfolio Director - Rest of World
An Oxford graduate with 15+ years in drinks, Charlie leads our global search strategy for the most exciting, distinct and scalable founder-led whiskey brands out there. He’s committed to help provide the highest calibre support in the industry.
Josh Wortman
WHISKY PORTFOLIO DIRECTOR - NORTH AMERICA
With 17+ years in spirits, Josh has worked in beverage program and cocktail development, bar management and distribution with boutique, global producers. At DV, he's excited to partner with the next generation of US whisky innovators to find creative ways to generate growth.
Allie Warren
GLOBAL HEAD OF MARKETING & COMMS
With 15+ years’ experience, Allie is our global marketing guru focused on reinforcing our position as an international thought-leader in multiple categories. Using curated hot-ticket panel and speaking opportunities, industry-shaking white papers and an innovative calendar of forward-thinking content, Allie has helped Distill Ventures become the first thought in spirits acceleration.
Alison Griggs
PEOPLE OPERATIONS MANAGER
Alison brings 8+ years in drinks, as well as an extensive background in entertainment and marketing. With a focus on team culture and wellness, she's dedicated to creating an engaging, exciting team culture that motivates the DV global office every day.
Kamilah Mahon
INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY PROGRAM MANAGER
A globally minded consultant interested in the intersection of business and psychology, Kamilah brings 10 years advising companies on inclusive and organisational strategies. At DV, she leads Inclusion and Diversity advisory initiatives for DV's Pre-Accelerator, portfolio and team. Kamilah is dedicated to empowering a new generation of diverse founders in building sustainable, equitable and inclusive organisations.
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