The Bardstown Bourbon Company (BBCo.) Board of Directors has appointed Mark Erwin as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer.
Erwin will succeed David Mandell, who is stepping down as President and CEO.
While serving as the newly appointed CEO, Erwin will continue as a member of The Bardstown Bourbon Company Board of Directors during the transition.
“As an active board member, I’ve admired what the Bardstown Bourbon Company team has achieved in such a short time and I appreciate David Mandell’s leadership in helping build a solid foundation for future success,” says Erwin. “The future for our company is bright and I am excited to have the opportunity to play a part in taking us to the next level.”
Erwin spent 25 years serving in the United States Army, culminating as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army Special Operations Command, which oversees all the Army’s Special Forces operations. He has commanded at every level of the Army’s elite Special Mission Unit, from captain to colonel, and was deployed numerous times to Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries throughout the Middle East and Africa.
Following his military career, Erwin joined Fortress Investment Group, where he served as an operating executive, before moving on to cofound the Karakoram Group, an international advisory firm which provides strategic consulting to Fortune 500 companies.
Erwin has also served as an Independent Board Director of Heritage Oil Plc, an independent, upstream exploration and production company listed on the London Stock Exchange, as well as serving on the Bardstown Bourbon Company Board of Directors.
“It has been an honor to serve as the CEO of Bardstown Bourbon Company,” says Mandell, who will remain a minority shareholder in the company. “With the company in such strong standing and poised for its next phase of growth, this is the right time for a transition and the talented team that we have in place are well positioned for success under Mark Erwin’s leadership. I wish everyone involved continued success.
“We’d like to thank David for his contributions to Bardstown Bourbon Company’s growth these last five years,” says BBCo. Executive Chairman, Peter Loftin. “David executed well on the board’s vision, helping establish our company as the nation’s leading collaborative distilling program, and launching our branded Discovery Series and Fusion Series products. We wish him the very best of luck in his future endeavors. We’re excited and honored to have Mark join the company as our new CEO. Mark is a proven leader, who brings decades of experience during his distinguished U.S. military career, and as an executive in both private and public company settings. Bardstown Bourbon Company will benefit greatly from Mark’s disciplined approach as we embark on this next phase of growth.”
