Berry Bros. & Rudd, the UK’s oldest fine wine and spirits merchant, today announces the appointment of Jamie Ritchie as Managing Director of International and Auctions, with responsibility for leading its business in the U.S. and Asia. He will join the company in August this year and will be based in Washington DC, reporting directly to Berry Bros. & Rudd CEO, Emma Fox.
This follows news that the company will launch in the United States this autumn, marking a key milestone in its international growth, with plans to serve a wider community of customers across the U.S.
Ritchie has previously held the position of Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby’s Wine & Spirits and joins the business following his role as Chief Operating Officer of BlockBar, a global marketplace for fine wine and spirits.
The newly created role reflects Berry Bros. & Rudd’s global ambitions and follows the launch of its fine wine auctions, which debuted in October last year to give collectors across the world even greater access to exceptional and rare fine wine and spirits. Its first auction was a highly successful Single Owner sale dedicated to wines from the esteemed and globally revered private collection of Ian Mill KC.
Emma Fox, CEO of Berry Bros. & Rudd said; “Jamie is a terrific and strategic addition to our leadership team, and this appointment shows our ambitious plans for auctions and our international growth.
“He joins our team at a very exciting time for the business and I am looking forward to working with him immensely.”
Ritchie said: “I have admired Berry Bros & Rudd since I first joined the wine business. The combination of tradition and innovation, along with their commitment to excellence, is why they are Britain’s oldest and most respected wine and spirits merchant. I am thrilled to be joining the team at such an exciting time of growth and opportunity.”
