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Home > What's New > General Acquisition Complete -- New President Named
General Acquisition Complete -- New President Named
Posted: Thursday, April 28, 2005
By David Savona
Angel Daniel Núñez, General's new president. |
General Cigar Holdings Inc. has officially been acquired by Swedish Match AB, and one of the hardest-working men in the cigar industry has been named as its president.
This morning, Swedish Match announced that on Friday, it completed its acquisition of General, the maker of Macanudo, Partagas and many other cigar brands and one of the prize gems of the American cigar industry. The acquisition ended the 44-year reign of the Cullman family as General's owners.
At the same time, General Cigar veteran Angel Daniel Núñez became General's president, taking the helm from outgoing president Edgar M. Cullman Jr., who also held the title of chief executive officer. Núñez, who was also named chief operating officer, is a hands-on leader who previously held the title of executive vice president of manufacturing and tobacco, supervising General's cigar production from leaf to box. He practically lives on an airplane, flying from General's fields in Connecticut to its cigar factories and tobacco fields in the Dominican Republic and Honduras. With the promotion, he now adds the responsibility for selling and marketing the cigars he makes.
Núñez will report directly to Lennart Freeman, president and CEO of Swedish Match North America. "We recognize and salute the outstanding business the Cullman family has developed, and understand the integral role Daniel Núñez has played in the success of General Cigar," Freeman said in a release issued this morning. "We look forward to his contributions toward expanding the presence of our premium cigars in domestic and international markets and to working with him to maintain General Cigar's leadership position within the industry.”
Cullman Jr. had fond words for his former employee: "For nearly 30 years, Daniel Núñez has been a driving force in the success of General Cigar. His expertise in tobacco and manufacturing has set the industry standard for product quality and consistency. I am confident that Daniel and his team will continue to make the company prosper."
The Cullman family will assist in the transition of General's operations to Swedish Match. Cullman Jr.; his father, outgoing General chairman Edgar M. Cullman; and David Danziger, former executive vice president of sales and marketing, have agreed to remain in consultative roles for the remainder of the year.
For a Cigar Aficionado profile on Núñez, click here.
To read the full story about the sale of General, and to get full access to our database of more than 8,000 cigar ratings, subscribe to Cigar Insider.
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