Meet the team – Love Drinks

Kirsty Loveday BEM

CEO and CHO (Chief Happiness Officer!)

Kirsty founded Love Drinks in 2007 after a number of years gaining insight and experience in mainly sales and marketing focused roles for large corporate companies including Allied Domecq and Castle Brands. Kirsty felt that there was a gap in the market for a fully independent marketing and distribution company that offered some of the best drinks in the industry.

Over the years, Kirsty’s passion and drive has been recognised with a number of accolades including Brand Ambassador of the Year for Gosling’s Rum, Outstanding Entrepreneur of the Year at the Women 1st Shine Awards and more recently she was awarded a British Empire Medal.

She now focuses her determination on making Love Drinks the best premium drinks brand builder in the industry as after all, there’s no point doing anything less than brilliant!

Samantha Burke

Managing Director

Samantha has over 20 years of experience within the premium drinks industry, working with established brands such as Appleton, Campari and Wray and Nephew as well as with start-up brands such as Polstar Vodka, Solidarnosc Vodka and Hendricks Gin. Her roles over the years have encompassed trade marketing, sales, brand management and creating strategic events and activations. She is responsible for leading the Love Drinks team in their delivery of Love Drinks’s bold growth ambitions.

Email: samantha@lovedrinks.co.uk

Rachel Wright

Senior National Accounts Manager: On-Trade

Rachel brings a wealth of experience to the team. With over 7 years account management, gained across a wide range of customers at Anheuser-Busch, to four years managing Pitcher & Piano bars across the UK, Rachel understands the challenges and opportunities of the dynamic marketplace.

Email: rachel@lovedrinks.co.uk

Elisha Savage

Customer Development Manager – North West & Midlands

Elisha has over 6 years in account management experience working in a variety of event sectors alongside bars, restaurants and hotels. Joining Love Drinks is an incredible venture and she cannot wait to get out there and introduce people to the fine brands Love Drinks' hold. Elisha will be a useful asset to the bars and bartenders of the North, including the major cities, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Birmingham.

Email Elisha@lovedrinks.co.uk

Chris Brown

Customer Development Manager Scotland

Chris might be a familiar face to some of you as he returns for his second stint as our point of contact in Scotland, or as he would put it “ The King of the north -north”. Having a background in cocktail bartending and venue management he brings a vast knowledge of cocktails , spirits and the Scottish on trade as a whole.

Email Chris@lovedrinks.co.uk

John Davies

Key Account Manager

John has over twenty years of broad experience within the UK drinks industry having worked with the likes of Amathus Drinks, Accolade Wines, Enotria & Coe and Carlsberg. John’s passion for the industry and consultative sales approach will be beneficial in the role of Key Account Manager. Away from work, John’s idea of a quiet night in is enjoying a Tommy’s Margarita while playing the piano to hopefully appreciative neighbours.

Email John@lovedrinks.co.uk

Gina Viegas

Finance Manager

Gina is a highly attentive finance professional with over 20 years’ experience in several countries including UK, Portugal and USA. She has a degree in Accounting and Administration and a Masters in Business and Management. Gina’s energy lies in really helping SMEs become more successful and she is very excited to work for a company like Love Drinks Ltd that share her values in promoting incredible brands and working with outstanding people.

Nabs Allybokus

Operations Manager

Nabs has been part of Love Drinks for over 5 years and plays a pivotal role in the operational side of the business. Her time in the industry began as an accounts assistant at Inspirit Brands before joining the Love Drinks team in 2013.

Fatou Cisse

Finance Assistant

Fatou has joined our busy accounts department on a part time basis, compacting her day with order processing and supporting finance. Originally from the Ivory Coast, Fatou speaks fluent English and French, has a degree in Accounting and Finance, is a busy mother of two and currently studying part time towards her ACCA. Fatou is very happy to be part of Love Drinks and working with an incredible team.

Sam Houston

Love Drinks Partner - PR Manager

Sam had been working for a London-based food and drink specialist PR agency as Account Director for 7 years, prior to setting up Hungry Communications on his own in 2012. Hungry now has a small core team (siblings Sam, Jack and Hannah) and only works with food and drink companies, brands and associations. Sam and the team at Hungry Communications have been working with Love Drinks since 2019.

Grant Appleton

Love Drinks Partner - Social Media Manager

Grant hails from South Africa. With a 25 year background in sales and marketing within the hospitality industry, he has worked in social media marketing for the past 10 years working with a number of emerging drinks brands, restaurants and bars to expand their core marketing reach and to build their customer base. He lives in Oxfordshire with his wife, a giant schnauzer and three sons.

Glen Hooper

Love Drinks Partner - Events Manager