Allied Blenders & Distillers Ropes in Nick Blazquez in Its Board

One of the leading IMFL company Allied Blenders & Distillers (ABD) has roped in former Diageo president Nick Blazquez in its board, shared a press statement.

This is a part of ABD’s strategy to boost international presence and help build premium brands.

The Kishore Chhabria led distiller shared that Blazquez will help provide operational and strategic guidance to the management of India’s third largest distillery.

"We welcome Nick to the ABD family and look forward to working with him to take ABD to further heights of glory," said Deepak Roy, Executive Vice Chairman in a statement.

Blazquez spent over 27 years in Diageo. He was its global president of Africa and Asia Pacific regions, before stepping down from the position and executive committee in 2016. He was also nominee non-executive director on the board of Diageo’s Indian subsidiary United Spirits.

ABD, that sells Officer's Choice, the world's largest-selling whisky brand, said it plans to recapitalise the business, foray further into mergers and acquisition opportunities and aggressively grow core business both in India and internationally.

The brand is also in talks with few private equity firms to raise about Rs 600 crore to fund its working capital and premium portfolio expansion, also seen as part of a broader strategy to go public in a year.