The board of Bacardi - the liquor giant which bought 42 Below in late 2006 - consists of 14 members of the Bacardi family and four independent directors. Too polite to agree when the suggestion is offered that this could be a nightmare, the new managing director of 42 Below, Paul Dibbayawan, does manage a quiet laugh when commiserations are offered for the plight of the independent directors in the midst of these familial bonds. An accountant by training, the former Philip Morris executive swapped cigarettes for liquor after being headhunted by Bacardi to manage its new acquisition, 42 Below and joined the iconic New Zealand brand last year. In changing direction, he would have been hard pressed to pick a business afflicted with more marketing controversy than the tobacco industry, but with 42 Below he has come close.
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