Nick Larsson-Bell and Freeman Ho join The Whisky Exchange
The Whisky Exchange has appointed Nick Larsson-Bell (pictured, left) as its buying director and Freeman Ho (pictured, right) as its head of auction, collectively bringing over 35 years of experience in spirits buying, retail, collecting and auction to its expert team.
In his new role, Larsson-Bell takes over from Dawn Davies MW, who spent over 10 years with the business before announcing that she was stepping down back in July.
After he joins on 9 November, Larsson-Bell will lead Buying, Supply Chain, Old & Rare and Own Label sections of the business, reporting directly to MD Natalie Tennent as part of the leadership team.
A respected buyer in the trade – regularly judging at the IWSC, ISC, Great Taste, and LSC – Larsson-Bell's 25-year career in drinks began behind a bar in London, going on to span retail, store leadership and commercial performance roles.
He has spent the past eight years working at Harvey Nichols, most recently as senior buyer across its entire drinks portfolio.
Commenting on Larsson-Bell’s and Ho’s move to The Whisky Exchange, Tennent said: “Our people are what set The Whisky Exchange apart, and Nick and Freeman are two of the most knowledgeable and respected people in their fields.
“Nick's buying experience and Freeman’s deep knowledge of rare and collectable whisky will allow us to bring customers an outstanding range of products, from everyday favourites to bottles they will treasure for a lifetime.
“These appointments are a clear statement of our commitment to bringing the very best spirits and experiences to our customers, and I'm thrilled to welcome them both to the team.”
Ho joined the business on 1 October, relocating from Hong Kong to London. He now leads the auction team across all stages of the process, from valuation to sale.
In his previous role, he ran the spirits auctions at Sotheby’s Hong Kong from 2023 to 2026, handling around £20 million of whisky and Moutai.
Ho has been a collector of whiskies from around the world for the past decade, along with co-hosting WhiskyNow! – an annual old and rare whisky festival in Hong Kong that launched in 2019 – drawing around 1,000 attendees a year.
With Ho being fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English, The Whisky Exchange said that he will be well placed to build relationships with collectors in Asia.
The Whisky Exchange is a leading specialist online retailer and wholesaler for whisky and fine spirits, originally founded in 1999 by Sukhinder and Rajbir Singh.
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