Expertise Across the Value Chain
THOMAS CLAMENS
Founder
Cartier France, Richemont, Willian Grant´s & Sons, Maxxium Global, Maxxium NL (JV Bols/Edrington), Zamora Company
More than 25 years of experience in global business management
Thomas has built and led international operations at the intersection of strategy, marketing, and commercial execution. His career spans the full value chain, from brand creation and portfolio development to supply chain and route-to-market optimization.
He has played a key role in shaping premium and luxury brands worldwide, leading global marketing initiatives that include packaging development, line extensions, new brand launches, and the construction of coherent, high-value brand portfolios. His work consistently focuses on long-term brand equity and commercial performance.
Throughout his career, he has driven growth through strategic partnerships, joint ventures, minority investments, and M&A operations, particularly within the wines, spirits, and gourmet industries. His hands-on leadership includes managing local distribution companies in diverse and complex markets such as Brazil, Mexico, Korea, Japan, and the Netherlands.
He has also built and managed international distributor networks across duty-free and domestic channels, developing effective route-to-market strategies throughout Europe, the United States, Latin America, and the Asia-Pacific region. His global perspective, entrepreneurial mindset, and deep industry expertise continue to fuel sustainable growth across markets.
PAULO CARVALHAL
Partner South America
Actium Beverages, Casa Flora, Tax Lawyer
Over 15 years in the wine & spirits industry
Paulo Carvalhal is a commercial leader with strong experience in building brands and driving sales growth across South America. Taking advantage of his communication skills, passion and network, he works closely with distributors, key accounts, and on-trade partners to open markets, accelerate distribution, and turn brands into profitable businesses.
With a practical, results-oriented approach, Paulo focuses on execution: negotiating, activating brands in the market, and creating real commercial momentum. His experience spans premium and super-premium brands, where performance, visibility, and sell-out matter.
Entrepreneurial by nature, Paulo has ‘worn the shoes’ of the industry, distributor, and off-trade client, reason why he is known for his ability to creatively and strategically spot opportunities, move fast, and deliver measurable results in complex Latin American markets.
DIEGO CORTES
Area Manager Northern South America
Over 20 years of experience building and scaling businesses
Entrepreneurial commercial leader driven by a strong passion for the spirits industry, with deep expertise in business development, brand activation, and route-to-market execution across retail and FMCG. With over 15 years in spirits, he is known for turning brands into tangible market success through hands-on execution and sharp commercial instinct.
Diego combines strategic vision with a strong operational focus, actively driving brand activation in the field — from building distribution and opening key accounts to increasing visibility and accelerating sell-out across On-Trade and Off-Trade channels.
He thrives close to the market, working alongside teams, distributors, and clients to unlock growth opportunities and deliver results. Passionate about brand building, he brings an entrepreneurial mindset, executional discipline, and a constant drive to grow brands sustainably and profitably.
VALERIA ORTIZ
Area Manager Central America & Caribbean
Tea Forte, Grupo Ultra
Driving Brand Growth & Commercial Expansion
Valeria Ortiz is a commercial and brand development specialist focused on driving sales growth across Mexico, Central America and Caribbean based in Cancun. She works closely with distributors and key accounts to expand market presence, increase sell-through, and accelerate revenue performance.
With experience across hospitality, retail, and consumer brands, she combines practical market knowledge with strong commercial execution. Her focus is on building distribution networks, improving route-to-market efficiency, and identifying scalable growth opportunities.
Valeria collaborates with regional partners to strengthen market coverage, activate brands effectively, and deliver measurable commercial results in competitive environments.
FABIAN RODRIGUEZ
Customer service
Carlsberg, Actium Beverages
Strong experience in the Wines & Spirits industry
Fabian is a customer relations professional with solid experience supporting commercial operations in the beverage and consumer goods industry across the Americas. He has a strong background in the industry, at Carlsberg and Actium, in customer service, import–export processes, logistics follow-up, and inventory control, ensuring smooth day-to-day operations and high client satisfaction.
With hands-on experience in shipment tracking, regulatory follow-up, customer support, and supply chain coordination, Fabian works as a key link between clients, suppliers, and internal teams. His previous exposure to sourcing, procurement, and account handling has given him a practical understanding of how commercial and operational workflows connect.
Detail-oriented, reliable, and service-driven, Fabian brings structure, responsiveness, and a solutions-focused mindset to managing customer relationships in fast-moving commercial environments.
SUSAN SMIT
Supply Chain
VA Solves, Yonder Hill Wine Estate
Over 20 years experience in wine and spirits operations and production
With over 20 years of experience in wine and spirits operations and production, Susan has led and managed the full production cycle, from raw material intake through to bottling and finished product release. Her expertise spans overseeing day-to-day production processes, ensuring efficiency, quality, and consistency at every stage.
She has extensive experience supervising importation and regulatory compliance, coordinating closely with external partners to ensure smooth cross-border operations. In addition, she manages inventory control for raw materials, consumables, and finished products in collaboration with third-party providers, maintaining accuracy and operational continuity. Her role also includes overseeing invoicing and customer service, ensuring reliable execution and strong service levels across commercial operations.