Gary Hyams Appointed President and CEO of Gurkha Cigars

Gary Hyams, former chairman of CAO International, has been appointed president and CEO of Gurkha Cigars, according to a press release from Beach Cigar Group Inc. Hyams left CAO earlier this year following the merger between Swedish Match and Scandinavian Tobacco Group.

Hyams has over 30 years of experience in the cigar industry, having previously acted as managing director of both Henri Wintermans UK and Loretta Cigars London Ltd. He also sat on the Board of Directors of the Cigar Association of America and was chairman of the UK’s Imported Tobacco Products Advisory Council. Needless to say, he’s bringing a lot to the table. “I think Kaizad has done a great job in creating such a unique brand in Gurkha, which has unlimited potential both here in the US and indeed globally,” said Hyams in the press release. “I especially look forward to building a great team and working even closer with our valued customers in taking Gurkha to new heights.”

“I am very excited about the prospect of Gary joining our company,” said Kaizad Hansotia, chairman of Gurkha Cigars. “With his knowledge and expertise, I believe he will take our company to a new level.”

Gurkha will be unveiling three brand new blends during the IPCPR trade show in July. I can only imagine what the company will churn out under the supervision of the guy who ran CAO when the Lx2, La Traviata, and America lines came out. Anyway, congratulations to Gary Hyams, and keep an eye out for those new blends!