Delphine Gardère

When Delphine Nathalie Gardère was announced as the new CEO of Rhum Barbancourt in June, she became the fifth generation of her family, and the second woman, to steer the ship of the iconic Haitian distillery. It’s a role she was born for: Her middle name, Nathalie, is in homage to Nathalie Gardère, the first woman to lead the company, running the business for 15 years in the early 20th century. “Every generation brings their touch, with their own history and own experience,” Gardère says. “My grandfather, a jurist and entrepreneur, brought the business from the back of the family house to the equivalent of the Great Plains of Haiti, which was a revolution. My father, an engineer, increased the production capacities.”