Bacardi Limited has appointed Lee Applebaum as chief marketing officer for Grey Goose vodka. He will be based in Bermuda.

Mr Applebaum will also continue as global chief marketing officer for Patrón Spirits, and when away from Bermuda will spend time at the Patrón office in Dallas and in the Bacardi office of Coral Gables in London.

He will report to Mahesh Madhavan, chief executive officer of Bacardi Limited. Mr Madhavan said: “Much of Lee’s focus with Patrón tequila has been on building world-class assets to communicate the brands’ rich artisanal story.

“I look forward to Lee bringing his creativity, ideas, and talent to Grey Goose as the two brands are both category leaders. One of the greatest benefits of our recent acquisition of Patrón Spirits has been the merging and sharing of talent. It was always about more than just the liquid. These were the types of synergies that we were looking for when we acquired Patrón Spirits earlier this year.”

Mr Applebaum is known for innovation and strategic, creative and comminations expertise in brand and retail marketing. He has been recognised as a “brand genius” by Adweek magazine, and “Most Innovative CMO” by Business Insider.

He said: “Grey Goose and Patrón are two iconic brands that stand alongside each other behind some of the best bars in the world. We can learn a lot from each other, and I look forward to a dynamic exchange of ideas, expertise, and experiences between the two brand teams.”