Plasencia 1865 has announced that industry veteran Jim Young has joined the company as an advisor and board member. Young will also take on the role of “Interim CEO” until a permanent candidate is named.

Young is best known for his tenure at Oettinger Davidoff AG, first as President of Davidoff North America and then as Davidoff’s Chief Commercial Officer in Basel, Switzerland. Prior to that, Young spent 24 years in the premium beverage alcohol industry with Seagram and eventually with Diageo.

Plasencia 1865 is the distribution company formed by Plasencia Cigars back in 2017. For many years, the Plasencias were known for growing tobacco and manufacturing cigars. The move with Plasencia 1865 provided the Plasencias the opportunity to sell their own branded cigars.

Plasencia 1865 has said that its growth since 2017 has led to the decision to name a full-time CEO to take that role. Young will play a key role during this process.

In a press release announcing Young’s appointment, Nestor Andres Plasencia commented: “We are super excited to bring Jim onto the board and into the interim CEO position. Jim brings many years of experience and proven results and we are confident that, together with the extraordinary team we have, we can achieve our goal of keep lighting up many souls around the world with our cigars.”

Jim Young added: “I am delighted to join Nestor Andres and the team at Plasencia 1865. This is a company that has tremendous potential and is an organization that is highly values-driven and is deeply committed to quality, consistency and sustainability. I am proud to become part of what I truly believe will be a very successful journey.”