LARKSPUR, Calif., Aug. 15, 2024 — O’Neill Vintners & Distillers, a Certified B Corporation, announces three key additions to its leadership team to bolster continued growth. Ron Mertz joins as Senior Vice President of Commercial Strategy, Christina Rivera-Glenn as Vice President of Luxury Operations, and Jenna Kujundzich as Vice President of Luxury Brand Strategy.
A 32-year wine industry veteran, Mertz joins O’Neill Vintners & Distillers from Washington’s House of Smith, where he served as Executive Vice President of Sales for two years. Prior to his tenure at House of Smith, Mertz spent 12 years spearheading exponential sales growth at A to Z Wineworks, quadrupling the business to nearly 400,000 cases per year and making it a top selling Oregon wine brand. This growth was a key driver in facilitating its sale to Ste. Michelle Wine Estates in 2022. Mertz will focus on driving customer synergies and implementing strategic commercial initiatives.
“Ron is an accomplished wine industry leader who has a strong track record of delivering business and channel growth, as well as leading and developing a high performing team,” said Tom Fantham, Chief Commercial Officer at O’Neill Vintners & Distillers. “I am pleased to welcome Ron to the O’Neill team and look forward to working with him as we continue our growth transformation journey.”
To support its new luxury division, O’Neill Vintners & Distillers has appointed two top industry innovators with extensive experience in driving high-level consumer engagement.
Rivera-Glenn’s comprehensive professional background spans luxury hospitality and sales operations with an emphasis on experience strategy, branding, direct to consumer sales, regulatory compliance, and operational optimization. Most recently at DAOU Family Estates, she was instrumental in building the luxury lifestyle brand and its portfolio. At O’Neill Vintners & Distillers, Rivera-Glenn will spearhead the luxury portfolio’s direct-to-consumer sales strategy, consumer experiences, and operations, including tasting rooms, events and activations.
Kujundzich, a luxury brand strategist, has spent the last decade focused on brand building, experiential marketing, hospitality, communications, and driving sales through strategic initiatives. At DAOU, her creativity and efforts leading the experiential marketing and partnership platforms were intrinsic to its success. Kujundzich will be responsible for driving overall luxury brand and public relations strategy in her new role, including creative content, social media and partnerships.
“As we build the foundation of our luxury division, these two remarkable leaders will bring immense passion and vision when growing a portfolio designed to engage the hearts and minds of our consumers,” stated Maeve Pesquera, Executive Vice President of Luxury at O’Neill Vintners & Distillers. “Christina and Jenna’s collective experience in building differentiated and compelling luxury brands will be a tremendous asset to our organization.”
