SPI appoints Piana as Stoli USA CEO

The SPI Group has announced the appointment of Patrick Piana as Stoli Group USA's new CEO, effective August 2015.

Piana will be responsible for leading Stoli Group USA initiatives and brand portfolio in the US and Canada. He will succeed John Esposito, who was appointed chairman of Stoli Group USA, LLC in February.

Piana has worked for: Rémy Martin, Moët Hennessy, Schieffelin & Somerset and Pernod Ricard. He most recently served as COO of Laureate International.

Stoli Group CEO Robert Cullins said: “As we pursue our plans to strategically grow the Stoli brand in the US and Canada, we sought to appoint an individual with extensive experience in business management, and with marketing and leadership expertise to drive Stoli forward. I look forward to working with both Patrick and John as we enter into the next phase of our portfolio and organizational development.”

New York-based Stoli Group USA LLC is the North American subsidiary of SPI Group, best known for premium vodka, Stolichnaya. Internationally distributed Stolichnaya vodkas are bottled in Latvia. The Stolichnaya portfolio includes ultra-premium elit by Stolichnaya, Stolichnaya 100 Proof Premium vodka, the super-premium Stolichnaya Gold and Stolichnaya Flavored Premium vodkas including Ohranj®, Razberi®, Vanil, Citros, Peachik and Hot.