Voting has closed and The Ultimate Awards team is pleased to announce that Susana Ortega, Brugal Rum Ambassador in the Dominican Republic, was chosen as Best Brand Ambassador 2024, in this special edition by Women Leading Rum.

Ortega’s triumph is more than deserved considering her history: she is the great-granddaughter of Andrés Brugal, founder of the well-known rum brand, so she grew up knowing closely the processes of spirits production. 

She graduated as a Systems Engineer, but then took the step to Marketing doing a master’s degree that she would begin to put into practice making known the rum that is part of her family. In addition, she has studied about the distillation process to know every little detail that makes it possible for Ron Brugal to reach the bars.

A memorable vote

This was one of the most memorable competitions at The Ultimate Awards. 4263 people voted for the 10 candidates and Ortega quickly gained an advantage over the rest by organizing an active campaign on social media.

However, she will not be the only one recognized. Karen Álvarez Seijas of Ron Flor de Caña and Ashera Goonewardene of Bounty Rum and Rhum Clément take second and third place respectively.

Both know the rum industry firsthand as they trained as bartenders in their places of origin: Alvarez spent almost 10 years behind the bar before being appointed as Brand Ambassador Peru and later as Regional Brand Ambassador for South America, while Goonewardene has several awards in the art of mixology that led her to explore a little more in the development of agricultural rums to become an ambassador for Magrove Global distributors, as well as brand ambassador for Spiribam.

Day by day, these women demonstrate a true passion for rum and lead educational events so that rum lovers can learn more about the spirit they represent.

Larissa Arjona, president of Women Leading Rum, highlighted the importance of these types of events and competitions, as they are essential for industry leaders to get to know each other and consolidate as a group, and she praised the work of each of the contestants, who give their best as brand ambassadors.

In this regard, it is important to mention that the voting was as follows:

• Susana Ortega (Brugal Rum): 1719

• Karen Alvarez Seijas (Flor De Caña): 942

• Ashera Goonewardene (Bounty Rum / Rhum Clement): 437

• Marie El Hanafi “Zee Bat” (Millionaire Rum / Rum Nation): 247

• Daniella Sanchez (Dos Maderas Rum): 245

• Adrienne Stoner (Maison Ferrand): 226

• Ana Suárez Castrillón (Ron Barceló): 175

• Gosia Kolbowska (SelvaRey Rum): 127

• Emily Gosling Bulters (Goslings Rum): 116

• Magdalena Reszke (Colours Of Rum): 29

Celebration in Madrid

The winners of this edition of Women Leading Rum – Best Brand Ambassador 2024 will be interviewed by The Rum Lab and will also receive a certificate that will be awarded this April 26 during the Spain Rum & Gin Expo, to be held at the Meeu showroom, Madrid, Spain.

This event will serve to bring together rum lovers from around the world, including women who are changing the industry and who will be part of the Women Leading Rum – Europe Conference, which will be the first time this organization holds a conference in Spain.