Meet the Speaker: Brendan Drake, US CEO, Hotel Chocolat

Brendan formerly had a career in banking prior to taking on the opportunity to lead Hotel Chocolat’s US expansion plans in 2018.

Originally from Australia, Brendan spent 7 years in the UK from 2005.  During his time in the UK Brendan worked with both Bank of Scotland and Barclays Corporate Banking, managing a number of large retail customers.  It was this experience working closely with the founders and management teams of the likes of Sports Direct and Lush Cosmetics that provided valuable insight into the inner workings of retail businesses.  The connection with Hotel Chocolat was via ex-CEO of Lush Cosmetics, Andrew Gerrie, now Chairman of Hotel Chocolat.

Prior to Hotel Chocolat re-launching in the US in 2018, Brendan developed a cohort of other British companies who had successfully launched in the US, in particular Pret, Charles Tyrwhitt, Lush & Naked Wines.  As the pandemic hit Hotel Chocolat had to pivot their US business overnight from a physical retail led strategy to a digital led strategy which was challenging but has provided clear direction for growth.