McIlhenny Company, maker of Tabasco® brand products, on June 3 announced several changes to its sales and marketing leadership teams to strengthen and more closely align its domestic and global business operations. McIlhenny Company President and CEO Tony Simmons announced the following appointments:
Fifth generation McIlhenny family member Harold Osborn, currently serving as Senior Vice President, will assume oversight of International Sales for Tabasco brand products, adding these responsibilities to his current management of agricultural operations, processing, new product development, and sustainability efforts.
Mr. Osborn joined McIlhenny Company as Vice President in 1999 and spent his formative years working summers for the Company and in the salt mine on Avery Island, which produces all of the salt used in Tabasco sauce. Mr. Osborn is a graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, as well as Oxford University in Oxford, England where he earned a Master of Science degree.
Stephen Romero, currently serving as Vice President of International Sales will now transition to Vice President of Domestic Sales. Mr. Romero has been with McIlhenny Company for 23 years and has served as Vice President of International Sales for the last 15 years during which the Tabasco brand experienced robust international growth and expansion into multiple new markets and territories. Previously, Mr. Romero held positions as Director - Promotional Marketing and Director ‐ Materials & Logistics. He is a graduate of the University of Louisiana and holds bachelors degrees in Business Administration and Behavioral Sciences.
Yiannis Tziamtzis has been named Vice President of Marketing and assumes oversight of Global Marketing in addition to retaining his current responsibilities as Senior Marketing Manager and Brand Strategist. Mr. Tziamtzis, born in Greece, began his career with McIlhenny Company in 2005 in Belgium as European Regional Manager. During his tenure in Europe, Mr. Tziamtzis worked closely with the senior management team and with Mr. Romero to redefine the company’s European strategy and deliver significant incremental growth to the business. He moved to New Orleans in 2011 when he was appointed Senior Marketing Manager and Brand Strategist. Prior to joining McIlhenny Company, Mr. Tziamtzis held marketing and strategy oversight positions at Newell Rubbermaid Europe, Pepsico, Del Monte Foods International and Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine. He holds a bachelors degree in Business Administration from the Athens Economics University, Greece, and an M.B.A. degree from the Rotterdam School of Management, the Netherlands.
“Osborn’s, Romero’s and Tziamtzis’ broad range of experience in multiple domestic and international roles within McIlhenny Company create a combined sales and marketing leadership team with deep brand knowledge, extensive in-‐market expertise and a shared vision for continued growth and category leadership everywhere Tabasco brand products are sold,” said Tony Simmons, President and CEO. “I look forward to great innovation and continued success under this team to accelerate and achieve all of our strategic and business objectives.”
Mr. Romero and Mr. Tziamtzis will succeed William “Bill” Dunn, Vice President of Domestic Sales and Martin Manion, Vice President of Marketing who have both retired after long and distinguished careers with McIlhenny Company.