Commenting on Richard's appointment, Chief Executive Officer Chris Heath said:

"We are delighted to welcome Richard to Stock Spirits Group. He brings with him extensive international and drinks industry experience and I have no doubt he will prove an invaluable asset as we continue to pursue opportunities to consolidate our position as the leading branded spirits business in Central Europe."

Richard joins SSG with over 20 years of experience in senior finance roles, including over 12 years in various finance positions within Diageo plc. and three years as Global Finance Director at Hutchison Whampoa, the water and soft drinks business.

Richard has recently worked in a number of private equity companies, overseeing several restructuring projects and M&A transactions. Most recently he was CFO for Picsel Technology, a private equity backed international technology firm.

Richard will be based at SSG's UK offices in Buckinghamshire.

In addition to the blue ribbon award, SSG also won three master awards, three gold awards and two silver awards, with several of its vodka, sambuca and liqueur brands achieving this high profile industry recognition. This reflects an extraordinary performance for a company which was only recently formed in 2007 and which is already making a significant impact on the spirits industry.

Commenting on the win Chris Heath, CEO of Stock Spirits Group said:

"I am delighted that our commitment to quality has been recognised by the judges across a range of SSG brands. Collecting the Liqueur Grand Master Award was a particular coup for the company and recognises that we have developed an industry leading portfolio of liqueur brands over the past two years."

The BTI, which has produced impartial wine and spirit reviews for consumers since 1981, awarded Stock Prestige a gold medal, in recognition of its exceptional taste and value. Stock Prestige was launched earlier in 2009 as a premium vodka within the Polish market by SSG, where it is a leading manufacturer of vodka.

The commentary from the BTI to accompany the award was:

"Clear. Very clean, neutral aromas with hints of sweet cream and flour follow through on a satiny, smooth entry to a glycerous, dryish medium body with custard and delicate spice notes. Finishes with a smooth, slightly peppery, powdered sugar and mineral accented fade. A very tasty, polished vodka for sipping or elegant cocktails that is an exceptional value."

Stock Prestige is produced at the Stock Polska plant in Lublin, Poland, which has been producing traditional clear and flavoured vodkas since 1906. Following significant investment under SSG's ownership, the Stock Polska plant now has what management believes is the fastest bottling line in Europe.

Commenting on the win Chris Heath, CEO of Stock Spirits Group said:

"We are delighted to receive this award, especially as the Stock Prestige brand was only launched this year.

"This demonstrates our ability to not only acquire quality brands and further strengthen them, but to also launch our own exceptional quality brands. We are delighted this has received global recognition and I thank all our employees across the Group for their continuing dedication."

Tomas's appointment comes following a decision to split the role of Marketing and Sales Director, reflecting the continuing growth of the Group in this region.

Commenting on Tomas's appointment, Chris Heath, CEO of Stock Spirits Group said: "We are delighted to welcome Tomas to the Stock Spirits team. His appointment comes following strong growth in the region which has called for an increasingly focused marketing approach, especially around consumer communications and product innovation.

Tomas's proven track record in marketing will help us in driving forward the business and will prove a huge asset to our operations in both the Czech Republic, where we are the leading spirits company, and also Slovakia."

Tomas has 15 years experience in marketing positions gained principally at Reckitt Benckiser, the global consumer goods company. He most recently held the position of Marketing Director Italy.

Tomas will be based at the Stock Plzeň office in the Czech Republic and will report to Petr Pavlik, Managing Director of Stock Plzeň.