Gusbourne Regulatory News (GUS)

6 September 2023

Gusbourne PLC

("Gusbourne" or the "Company")

Board Change and Appointment of Interim Chief Executive Officer

Gusbourne PLC, (AIM: GUS) the English sparkling wine producer, today announces that Mike Paul, a Non-Executive Director who has sat on the main PLC Board for several years and who has significant international wine industry experience, has been appointed as Interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Company. As announced on 27 June 2023, Charlie Holland will step down as CEO and has resigned as a director of the Company as of today. Charlie will be retained as a consultant to the wine-making team for a limited period to assist with a smooth handover of all aspects of wine production, including the upcoming harvest.

Mike Paul has been a Non-Executive Director at Gusbourne for six years. He has over 30 years' experience in the wine industry in the UK and overseas and was involved for a decade with Wine GB, the organisation which represents UK wine producers. Mike has worked closely with the executive team over many years, advising on the Company's premium brand positioning, sales proposition and marketing strategy. Mike also currently sits on the Executive Committee. The Board believes his in-depth knowledge of the business and the wider industry makes him ideally placed to support the Company's executive team as the search for a new Chief Executive Officer is brought to a conclusion.

Jim Ormonde, Chairman, said:

"Mike was an obvious choice to support our experienced management team as Interim CEO whilst we complete our process to appoint a new permanent Chief Executive. On the wine-making side of the business, succession planning was always an important part of Charlie's brief and we are appointing our new Head Winemaker from within our existing, talented team.

We wish Charlie well in his future role and remain enormously grateful to him for his invaluable service over the last ten years. He leaves a legacy of excellent vintage wine in the cellar which our customers will enjoy drinking for many years to come, together with a hugely capable senior management team who continue to be fully focused on the development and growth of the Company."

Enquiries:

Note: This and other press releases are available at the Company's website: www.gusbourneplc.com

This announcement contains inside information for the purposes of article 7 of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) 596/2014 as amended by regulation 11 of the Market Abuse (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019/310. With the publication of this announcement, this information is now considered to be in the public domain. The person responsible for arranging for the release of this announcement on behalf of Inland Homes plc is Katharine Berry, CFO. 

Note to Editors

Gusbourne produces and distributes a range of high quality and award winning vintage English sparkling wines from grapes grown in its own vineyards in Kent and West Sussex.

The Gusbourne business was founded by Andrew Weeber in 2004 with the first vineyard plantings at Appledore in Kent. The first wines were released in 2010 to critical acclaim. Following additional vineyard plantings in 2013 and 2015 in both Kent and West Sussex, Gusbourne now has 93 hectares of mature vineyards. The NEST visitor centre was opened next to the winery in Appledore in 2017, providing tours, tastings and a direct outlet for our wines.

Right from the beginning, Gusbourne's intention has always been to produce the finest English sparkling wines. Starting with carefully chosen sites, we use best practice in establishing and maintaining the vineyards and conduct green harvests to ensure we achieve the highest quality grapes for each vintage. A quest for excellence is at the heart of everything we do. We blind taste hundreds of samples before finalising our blends and even after the wines are bottled, they spend extended time on their lees to add depth and flavour. Once disgorged, extra cork ageing further enhances complexity. Our winemaking process remains traditional, but one that is open to innovation where appropriate. It takes four years to bring a vineyard into full production and a further four years to transform those grapes into Gusbourne's premium sparkling wine.

Gusbourne's luxury brand enjoys premium price positioning and is distributed in the finest establishments both in the UK and abroad. Our wines can be found in leading luxury retailers, restaurants, hotels and stockists, always being aware that where we are says a lot about who we are.