Beck Family Estates appoints David Burford as new CEO
Beck Family Estates has appointed David Burford as CEO to lead its powerful wine portfolio of Graham Beck, Steenberg Vineyards and Capensis.
· 2 min read
Adept at creating success driven environments, Burford took over on 1 July 2022 as CEO from Chris du Toit, who will remain on the board.
The business is in exceptional good standing with a profitable Cap Classique sparkling wine and premium still wine portfolio and is well positioned to explore new markets and grow its global footprint.
Burford joins the company from Dutch multinational, Heineken and brings a wealth of experience in adjacent categories within the drinks sector. This, together with the experienced teams already in place, stand him in good stead to navigate the business forward into the next stage of growth and development.
Beck: Drive to premiumise
“I am both humbled and honoured for the opportunity to lead the company. The business has a wealth of talent and experience in its people and the leadership team have made smart choices to get it to where it is today. With this solid base of people, business, and portfolio we are in great shape to premiumise and expand even further,” says Burford who thrives in results driven environments.
Burford has an MBA from Nottingham Trent University and has garnered extensive local and international experience having held senior management positions at Heineken, Brandhouse, Novartis and the North American multi-national, Molson Coors Beverage Company.
“I’m seriously excited about Dave joining our family wine company now approaching its 40th anniversary. He has great energy and leadership skills,” says Antony Beck, who chairs the family business.
About Beck Family Estates
Beck Family Estates is a family-owned company championing unique vineyard sites and wineries in South Africa and Oregon.
As grape growers, winemakers, importers and marketers, the company is lauded for its long-term, multi-generational commitment to local communities, as well as environmental restoration, conservation and regenerative farming.
Led by Antony Beck, the company is the exclusive importer for the acclaimed, méthode champenoise house, Graham Beck, as well as Steenberg Vineyards, the oldest registered farm in South Africa’s Western Cape. In Oregon, the first estate wines of the Abbott Claim label were released in 2020, while Angela Vineyards specialises in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay sourced from estate vineyards, organic and sustainably-farmed vineyards in Willamette Valley.
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