Amber Beverage UK Reinforces UK Commitment with Senior Industry Appointment

Amber Beverage UK (ABUK), the UK-based spirits distribution and brand-building arm of Amber Beverage Group, today announced the appointment of Pavel Verblyudenko as Managing Director, marking a decisive new chapter for the business and a renewed commitment to the UK drinks trade.

With more than 25 years of international commercial leadership, transformation expertise and deep category knowledge, Pavel steps into the role with a clear mandate: to strengthen operational foundations, rebuild momentum and position ABUK as the UK's leading independent premium spirits distribution partner.

Amber Beverage Group CEO Normunds Stanevich commented on the appointment:

"The UK is one of the most important markets for Amber Beverage Group, both as a strategic distribution platform and as a home to some of our most exciting brand-building opportunities. Pavel's appointment reflects our commitment to strengthening our UK operations with experienced, results-driven leadership. I am confident he has the commercial acumen and transformation experience to unlock the full potential of what ABUK can be."

A Proven Leader in Growth and Turnaround

Pavel's career spans senior leadership positions at globally recognised FMCG and drinks businesses, including Procter & Gamble, where he spent nearly a decade developing go-to-market strategies across Eastern Europe and leading complex distribution operations across ten Southern African markets.

Within the spirits sector, Pavel held a senior leadership role at Brown-Forman, serving as General Manager Russia with full P&L responsibility. During his tenure, he tripled the size of the business within three years while significantly increasing EBITDA. He led a complete go-to-market redesign, restructured distribution operations and managed the relocation of large-scale logistics infrastructure — delivering both top-line acceleration and operational discipline.

Pavel Verblyudenko commented:

"I am honoured to take the helm at Amber Beverage UK at such a pivotal moment for the business. ABUK has a remarkable heritage of brand building and a portfolio of exceptional spirits brands. My mandate is clear: to execute a comprehensive business turnaround that will unlock the full commercial potential of this platform. Drawing on my experience in restructuring distribution operations, redesigning go-to-market strategies, and building high-performing multicultural teams, I am confident we can transform ABUK into the leading independent spirits distribution business in the UK. We will sharpen our commercial execution, invest in our people, strengthen key customer partnerships, and leverage data-driven revenue management to deliver sustainable, profitable growth."

Pavel's appointment signals a decisive investment in leadership, structure and long-term partnership. His track record in crisis and change management, distributor development, trade marketing excellence and organisational transformation positions ABUK to navigate current market realities — including fiscal pressures, duty reform and a fast-evolving hospitality landscape.

For UK retailers, wholesalers and on-trade partners, this marks a renewed commitment to:

• Stronger commercial discipline and transparency
• Sharper route-to-market execution
• Strategic brand investment
• Long-term partnership focus
• Sustainable, profitable growth across the portfolio

ABOUT AMBER BEVERAGE UK

Amber Beverage UK, established in 1999 (formerly Cellar Trends), serves all UK drinks trade sectors across on- and off-trade with over 60 international brands. Highlights include the flagship Stoli range, Vodka ELIT, Moskovskaya Vodka, Writer's Tears and The Irishman whiskeys, Rooster Rojo and KAH Tequila, recently acquired Ten Locks portfolio (El Tequileño, Lind & Lime Gin, Portobello Road Distillery). In 2023, ABUK merged with Indie Brands, combining entrepreneurial brand-building with operational scale and national reach.