Robert Hall, CEO, Ole Smokey Distillery

Robert Hall has always had a passion for the consumer goods industry. After graduating from Oxford University in England with a BA in Physics and Mathematics and receiving his MBA in Marketing and Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, he joined Nestle, where he gained marketing, sales and general management experience. Robert has also worked at other leading consumer goods companies including Procter & Gamble, Kraft, Nabisco (where he was he was the President of their Specialty Products Company and of Christie Brown & Co. Ltd. in Canada ), and Lenox (where he was he was President of Lenox Brands). After over 20 years in large corporations, Robert moved into the Private Equity business, but maintained his focus on consumer products. He became an Operating Executive of Palladium Equity Partners, LLC where he served as Chairman of Wise Foods as well as Interim Chief Executive Officer of Castro Cheese Company. He then moved to Centerview Capital and became a Managing Director at the firm, before assuming his current responsibilities as Chief Executive Officer of Ole Smoky Distillery in 2016. Robert has also served as a Director on numerous corporate boards. Firstly, for Ault Foods Ltd., a $1.3b dairy products company in Canada, where he was also the Chairman of the Management Resources and Compensation Committee. He then served on the board for six other private equity owned food companies including, Castro Cheese, Taco Bueno Restaurants, Chung’s Gourmet Foods, Custom Food Products, Wise Foods and Frozen Specialties. Additionally, he was an Advisory Board Member of Belmay, a private fragrance company. Currently, he serves on the Board and is the Chairman of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee of Glatfelter, a $1.6b NYSE specialty paper company. He is also on the Board of Yucatan Foods, a privately held guacamole company. Hall is now the CEO of Ole Smoky Distillery, the leading moonshine company in the U.S. and home of the world’s most visited distillery, where he has supported the company’s efforts to significantly grow sales. Just recently the company won the 2017 IMPACT Hot Brand Award for spirits brands, which recognizes Ole Smoky’s size and growth over the past year. Today, Robert and his wife, Liz, live in Sevierville, TN and have three adult children, Emma, Alistair and Duncan, whom they visit often.