Executive Management

Prior to joining Andrew Peller Limited in 1989 as Vice-President, Sales and Marketing Planning, Mr. Peller spent the first chapter of his career practising corporate and commercial law and gaining sales and marketing experience with Nabisco Brands Inc. Through his service as Andrew Peller Limited’s President and Chief Executive Officer since 1994 and Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2017, Mr. Peller has made his mark on the Canadian wine industry. In 2020 his outstanding contributions were recognized with the Officer of the Order of Canada award.

Paul Dubkowski has over 20 years of finance, accounting and information technology experience in the hospitality and retail sectors and a proven track record of leading teams to support a company’s success. In addition to Senior Vice-President positions at Indigo and Sunwing, he spent 15 years at Accor Hotels, whose brand portfolio includes Fairmont, Raffles, Sofitel, and Swissotel, where he held progressively senior roles in finance, accounting, and strategy.

Patrick O’Brien is an internationally experienced sales and marketing executive respected for his strategic approach and focus on building winning teams. From his 14+ years working in the beverage alcohol industry, he has a proven track record of leadership that delivers strong, profitable growth. Before joining Andrew Peller Limited, Patrick served as Chief Sales and Customer Excellence Officer at Molson Coors Canada after having held several commercial positions at Molson Coors in the U.K.

After a successful trajectory at a renowned law firm, José Salgado felt drawn to blend his love of law with his passion for wine. He immersed himself in the wine industries of Mexico, the United States, and Canada in cross-functional roles driving brand, sales, corporate development, and strategy at renowned companies like Duckhorn Portfolio and Fetzer Vineyards. In 2021, he joined Andrew Peller Limited to lead the company's corporate development activities, with special emphasis on VQA and DTC.

From fine jewellery stores to big box environments, James Cole has spent three decades exploring and amassing experience in the evolving Canadian retail landscape. During his 25 years with Andrew Peller Limited, he has performed a variety of roles related to guiding and growing the company’s 101-store retail chain and other business-to-consumer channels.

Sara Presutto brings 15 years of human resources experience with Starbucks Canada to her role at Andrew Peller Limited. Through a series of progressively senior human resources roles, culminating in her final position as Vice-President, Partner Resources, she discovered her passion for leading a team to help businesses grow and transform through their employees. During that tenure, she helped the leading coffee chain grow its Canadian business from 200 to 1700 stores.

Prior to joining Andrew Peller Limited in 2007, Brendan Wall was Vice-President of Operations at Gay Lea Foods, where he was responsible for the strategic and operational performance of five production facilities while also leading engineering, project management, quality assurance and industrial sales. The experience he brings from that role continues to provide context for his responsibilities today, which include leading a national operations team responsible for winemaking, production, and supply chain, as well as operations support functions such as quality, engineering and co-pack management.

Gregory Berti brings over 35 years of experience in all facets of the Canadian wine industry to Andrew Peller Limited’s executive team. His positions on several industry boards, including Wine Growers British Columbia, Wine Growers Ontario, Wine Growers Canada, and the Wine Appellation Authority of Ontario, keep his fingers on the pulse of the Canadian wine business. That wine industry knowledge is complemented by extensive experience from past leadership roles in international sales, tourism, e-commerce, marketing, government relations, and mergers and acquisitions.

Ramit Bordia brings extensive experience with North America’s leading consumer packaged goods companies to his role at Andrew Peller Limited. Before joining the company, Ramit served as the Head of Revenue Management at Molson Coors Canada, leading all strategic commercial levers for the Canadian business. He was also Senior Customer Finance Director at Hain Celestial Canada, overseeing the company’s North American business.

Born in Scotland and raised in England and Northern Ireland, Gavin Hawthorne’s passion for the beverage industry began with a UK-based position with Pepsi. Next, he spent time working with Arterra in B.C., and from there took on a position as Account Manager with Andrew Peller Limited in Vancouver. In 2008, he relocated to Niagara-on-the-Lake, where he has spent over a decade focused on delivering results through Andrew Peller Limited’s sales and marketing channels.

Australian-born Winemaker Craig McDonald has over two decades of winemaking experience, including vintages in the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. Since joining Andrew Peller in 2010, Craig has completed 34 vintages, with recent projects taking him further abroad to Chile, Argentina, and Spain. In 2008 and 2016, Craig was recognized with the Ontario Wine Awards’ coveted Winemaker of the Year award. A fervent advocate of grass-roots winemaking, Craig leads the Trius winemaking team and oversees national winemaking for Andrew Peller Limited.

Mark Torrance is a highly respected hospitality and retail professional with 30 years of experience in the premium and luxury segments of these industries in both North America and the U.K. After launching his career in small luxury country house hotels in the U.K., he transitioned to the wine business in 2001. His oversight of the development and delivery of immersive, industry-leading visitor experiences at out wineries supports Andrew Peller Limited's drive to increase market share and encourage brand loyalty.