After leading a team at Guinness that turned around 20 years of brand decline, and over 10 years consulting in which he helped dozens of founders realise their potential,
Shilen
started Distill Ventures with his Co-founder, Frank Lampen, in 2013.
As the world’s first drinks accelerator, the company helps entrepreneurs scale their business in three ways: providing cash investment, mentoring partners to help them become better business leaders, and tapping into an extensive and experienced network of drinks experts. While Distill Ventures’ approach is unique to each entrepreneur, the goal is always to give founders the tools to make better decisions and fewer mistakes while allowing them to remain fully in control of their business. To date, Distill Ventures has committed in excess of £60 million to more than 15 founder-led drinks brands around the world.
Shilen
’s passions lie in providing start-up entrepreneurs with the guidance and expertise to launch into markets disruptively, and developing the non-alc drinks category. Distill Ventures has played a pivotal role in the acceleration of leading non-alc spirit, Seedlip, and
Shilen
cites his career highlight as meeting Ben Branson back in 2014, after which he helped turn Seedlip into what it is today, while creating an entirely new drinks category.
Joy Beckerman is an internationally renowned hemp law and policy expert involved in the hemp industries for over 30 years, and her extraordinary passion for this versatile, valuable crop is contagious! Joy is the Founder & Principal at Hemp Ace International, a Seattle-based consulting, legal support, and expert witness firm serving the global community; as well as Director of Regulatory & Legal Affairs of Zilis, an international leader in hemp extract dietary supplements and cosmetics; Co-Founder and Senior Advisor to Colorado Hemp Works, America’s first post-prohibition hemp grain processing facility; and host of the popular podcast Hemp Barons. Among multiple non-profit leadership roles, Joy President of the Center of the Study of Cannabis & Social Policy, a leading Director of the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, consultant to the U.S. Hemp Building Association , and The Seminar Group’s National Hemp Continuing Legal Education Program Chair. After joining the hemp movement in 1990, Joy opened the first hemp store in New York state in 1994; and when the inaugural Vermont Hemp Bill passed in 1996, Joy relocated there with her family to serve as Secretary to the Vermont Hemp Council. After an extensive and successful dual career in compliance and complex civil litigation in Seattle, Joy founded Hemp Ace International in 2014. Joy works directly with lawmakers and regulators as a grassroots activist, both proactively and upon request.
Nicolas Rivollet has 20 years of international experience with PET packaging for consumer goods. With Penn Color, he combines creativity and a rigorous analytical approach to shape strategies to expand product vitality and develop new business in the US, Europe, and Asia. Before joining Penn Color, he had roles with Sidel as Marketing VP Blowing & Coating, Sales Support & Technical Communication in Octeville Sur Mer, France, Project Director, Supply Chain Director in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Product Innovation Director, Blowing & Coating in France. He also was Director of Corporate Business Development for Husky in Toronto. Nicolas has a degree from INSA Lyon – Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon, attended IAE FRANCE – Écoles Universitaires de Management, and has an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School.
Ross is Director of EMEA Operations at Quiktrak, a Bureau Veritas company. He aids lenders to digitalise the process involved in inspecting assets and auditing stock, reporting on dealer behaviour and adapting to varying global and regional market conditions.
Jackie has 20 years of experience in labelling and artwork management solutions, from solution development, to consulting, and account management. Her focus is on identifying process improvement opportunities, sharing best practices, and recommending technology-based solutions to support getting products to market faster, increasing quality and reducing risk.
Niklas Fehrm is the Chief Revenue Officer at Scrive. He has a solid experience with driving change, growth and revenue by creating structure, clear objectives and customer-centric cultures with the opportunity for people to challenge and add value for customers. With Scrive’s deep connections with the world of automotive finance, Niklas has had the pleasure of working with some of the biggest brands in the industry, helping them deliver better service, securely and efficiently. Niklas is a former athlete and coach with a degree in psychology and economics, and is using his theoretical insights and knowledge by turning strategy into sales effectiveness.
Dr. Antony Jones is a managing consultant at Broughton with over twenty-two years of multidisciplinary consulting experience preparing and critically assessing a broad range of toxicological, microbial and epidemiological studies. Dr. Jones has conducted human health risk assessments of multiple Electronic Nicotine Delivery systems (ENDS) and other tobacco products for inclusion in FDA Pre-Market Tobacco Applications (PMTA). He also has experience conducting ecological and microbial risk assessments, preparing regulatory submissions and communicating results to clients, community stakeholders and governmental agencies.
A lawyer by training with 25+ years experience in business development and public affairs, Pierre helps decision-makers in private and public sector organizations understand and adopt new ways of doing things. At HEXO, Pierre is part of the Strategic Business Development team responsible for developing partnerships with consumer-packaged goods companies seeking to capitalize on the global cannabis opportunity.
