Apologies for the lack of reviews recently, things have been hectic, but normalcy should return this week. As a few of you know, I was in Atlanta this past week for Buckhead Cigar Club’s Tweet-Up. One half of Tiki Bar Online and Stogie Review were represented, along with a few of the more popular cigar tweeters (Skip and Thomas), a few reps and Sean Williams of El Primer Mundo, Eddie Ortega of EO Brands/601/Murcielago/Cubao and Frank Herrera and Elissa of CigarLaw/La Caridad del Cobre were in town as well. (For those wondering, the 601 bands are changing.) I thank everyone that was there, those I have forgotten to mention and that “server” from Vortex for being great host. Special shout-out to the Buckhead Cigar Club crew: Mike, Boram, Toma and Roland for throwing this all together.

Next week will definitely be more interesting than this week, but there was still some news. The Oettinger Davidoff Group appointed a new president (press release after the jump), check back Wednesday for some more info on my favorite Swiss brand. La Aurora introduced a new exclusive series for New York retailers, the Broadway Series. Jose Blanco told me its a must try, so I guess I’ll have to get my hands on some. Earlier this week we broke the news everyone already knew, the Cain F NUb should be in stores next month as a regular production line, Studio Tobac kicks off their tour with Cain F Lanceros and a Corvette in February. The Fuente Fuente Opus X Lost City should be in Prometheus merchants by now, many retailers noted getting shipments in the middle of last week. The “regular” Opus X holiday shipment should be getting into authorized accounts this week as they finally have left Miami. Rich Perelman posted some interesting numbers regarding cigar production, because he doesn’t disclose, I have no clue where these came from.

Oettinger Davidoff Group appoints new CEO

Basel, 9 December 2010. The Board of Directors of Oettinger Davidoff Group has appointed Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard (52) of Denmark as its new CEO. He succeeds longstanding CEO Dr. Reto Cina, who is retiring at the end of May 2011 after 14 years of successful work for the Oettinger Davidoff Group. The Oettinger Davidoff Group, based in Basel, is one of the world’s leading cigar companies. It owns a series of globally recognized brands, including the premium brand Davidoff, and has its own retail outlets in more than 120 countries around the world.

Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard himself is from a Danish family that has been in the tobacco business for generations. He worked for the family firm for several years from 1980 after earning an HD Diploma in business and administration and studying political science at the University of Copenhagen. Following management training at the Southern Denmark Business School he took on a series of increasingly demanding management roles at several international, mainly privately owned companies with world-leading brands. Until 1993 he worked for Seagram, one of the world’s largest spirits companies, in Italy, Hong Kong and finally as General Manager in Thailand. Then he moved to Guerlain, the French luxury perfume and cosmetics company, where he was CEO for the Asia/Pacific region until 1998. He was President of the worldwide Lancaster Group, a major international perfume and cosmetics company, until 2002, and was then appointed CEO of Georg Jensen, the leading Danish jewellery, watch and silverware group. In 2008 he took over as CEO and Member of the Board of Timex Group, an internationally active American family firm that has enjoyed 150 years of success in the watch industry.

Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard has completed numerous advanced training courses at the business schools of Harvard, Insead and Wharton. He will join the Oettinger Davidoff Group on 1 March 2011 and start work as CEO on 1 June 2011.

“We are very pleased to have found such a competent, internationally experienced personality as Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard to succeed Reto Cina as our CEO,” says Andreas Schmid, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “His knowledge of the tobacco industry and his many years of managing brand products in the luxury goods sector will stand him in very good stead in his demanding role as CEO of our globally active family firm.”

Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard himself says: “I am looking forward to joining a visionary family firm that over the decades has built Davidoff up into what today is a globally recognized, leading luxury brand for quality products. It will be a privilege for me to lead the Oettinger Davidoff Group and the team behind it, and to work together on the further globalization of the company and brand as we take the Davidoff cigar business to the next level.”

Avatar photo

Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.