SKYY SPIRITS EXECUTIVE TEAM
Gerard Ruvo
President and CEO
Gerard (Gerry) Ruvo is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Skyy Spirits, LLC, the US-based wholly owned subsidiary of Gruppo Campari and the definitive marketer and distributor of super-premium and luxury spirits brands in North America.
Gerry has over 30 years experience in beverage alcohol, holding positions of increasing responsibility in sales and general management before assuming his current role with the company in 2005. Gerry joined Skyy Spirits in 1998 to build a comprehensive sales structure and direct the company’s skyrocketing sales. Under his sales leadership, SKYY Vodka became the leading domestic super- premium vodka in the United States, fueled by 14 consecutive years of growth and twelve Hot Brand Awards, the industry’s ‘Oscars.’
His prior beverage alcohol experience includes Gallo where he began as a sales representative in 1975 in upstate New York. In 1978, he joined Monsieur Henri, a division of Pepsico Inc., and was involved in introducing Stolichnaya Vodka in the United States. During the next twelve years, he advanced through a series of senior sales management positions within that company. Gerry joined Paddington in 1990 as Regional Vice President in Dallas, Texas and in 1991 he moved back to New York to become the Eastern Region Vice President; then the Vice President National Sales in 1993. In 1997, after the merger of Heublein and the Paddington Corporation, he was named VP Sales of the newly formed International Distillers and Vintners (IDV), the largest spirits company in North America.
Gerry has extensive knowledge of the spirits category and is an enthusiastic and well-respected industry leader. His charitable work includes The Cancer Society, the Sky Ranch and the Boy Scouts of America. He has been honored multiple times for his contributions to these charitable organizations.
Gerry is a native New Yorker and graduated from the State University of New York at Cortland with B.A. and M.A. degrees. He resides in San Francisco, California with his wife Sue and has two grown children.
James McLachlan
Chief Financial Officer
James McLachlan joined Skyy Spirits in October 2005 as Chief Financial Officer. He brings more than a decade of senior-level experience in the wine and spirits industry, including significant international experience and valuable insight to the financial complexities of highly dynamic companies. Prior to Skyy Spirits, he established African Wine & Spirits as managing director and oversaw the company from 1999 to 2004. McLachlan has worked in several finance capacities with Diageo SA, Cape Town and Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
McLachlan holds a degree in African Languages and a certificate in the Theory of Accounting from the University of Cape Town. He is registered as a Chartered Accountant.
Andrea Conzonato
Chief Operating Officer/Chief Marketing Officer
Andrea Conzonato was appointed Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer of Skyy Spirits in 2008. In this capacity, Conzonato oversees all aspects of sales, marketing, and operations for the company. Prior to joining Skyy Spirits, Conzonato served as Group Marketing Director for Skyy Spirits’ parent company Gruppo Campari in Milan. In addition to his role at Gruppo Campari, Andrea has a wealth of experience working for the world’s largest consumer packaged goods company, Procter and Gamble. During his 13 years at Procter and Gamble, Conzonato managed the company’s Italian operations for its health and beauty products, including such recognizable international brands as Oral-B, Pantene, Olay, Max Factor and Noxzema. His experience also included marketing, product development, supply chain, finance and sales in the US and other territories.
Conzonato started his career as an officer in the Italian Air Force. He graduated from University of Padua with a degree in Electrical Engineering.
Matt Davenport
Vice President of Sales
Matt Davenport joined Skyy Spirits in 2006 as the Vice President of Sales, bringing years of beverage sales experience to company. Prior to joining Skyy Spirits, Davenport served as Vice President of Sales for Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery in Napa, California, where he also served as the Western Region Manager from 1998 to 2001. Davenport has held leadership positions with Young’s Market Company and The Four Seasons Hotel Group in Northern California.
Davenport holds a degree from the University of Nevada Las Vegas in Hotel Administration.
Sarah Petrik
General Council
Sarah Bradley Petrik joined Skyy Spirits in 2007 and brings more than 15 years of experience advising technology, consumer goods, and media companies. As General Counsel, Petrik is responsible for the legal activities related to trademarks, regulatory compliance, trade practices, litigation, corporate governance, and other matters. Prior to joining Skyy, Petrik was a co-founder and the Vice President of Legal and Administration of the web development company Laszlo Systems, Inc., where she assisted in raising multiple rounds of venture finance in addition to managing the finance, legal, and human resources functions. Before that, she was counsel at Covad Communications, a broadband services company, where she worked on regulatory affairs, antitrust litigation, and employment matters. Petrik began her career as a litigation associate at the New York law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
Petrik graduated with honors from Brown University and received her law degree from Yale Law School.
