Michael P. Votto – President, CEO and Co-Founder
As Chief Executive Officer of Votto Vines, Mike is responsible for the strategic direction of the family business that he co-founded in 2009. Votto Vines partners with highly acclaimed wineries around the world, develops proprietary wine brands and works with leading distributors and national retailers. Votto Vines is the first wine importing company ever to be named by Forbes as one of America’s Most Promising Companies and to earn a place on the Inc. 500 as one of the fastest growing companies in America. In 2012, Votto Vines was selected by the National Football League to manage its VIP wine program for the NFL International Series Game in London, England, and in 2017 Entrepreneur Magazine named Votto Vines One of the Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America. Previously, in 2015, leading wine and spirits industry publication, Wine Enthusiast, nominated Votto Vines as “Importer of the Year” citing the company’s fast revenue growth and expanding distribution platform.
Prior to transitioning to a full-time role at Votto Vines, Mike spent more than ten years practicing commercial real estate and corporate law at two American Lawyer Top 100 law firms in New York City and Boston, and later served as Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of an asset management firm with greater than $25B in AUM.
Mike earned a bachelor’s degree cum laude in European History at Union College where he was a member of the varsity basketball team and Sigma Chi fraternity. Mike also studied abroad in Florence, Italy during his undergraduate studies. He earned a law degree magna cum laude from Syracuse University, which he attended on a full-scholarship as a graduate assistant for the Syracuse football program. At Syracuse, Mike was an editor of the Syracuse Journal of International Law and Commerce and a member of the Justinian Honorary Law society. Subsequent to law school graduation, Mike completed Wine Studies II coursework at the Boston University Elizabeth Bishop Wine Resource Center. Mike is a frequent lecturer and panelist at both investment and wine industry conferences. He also works with several technology companies as an advisor and angel investor, including venture-backed TruePic, a San Diego-based digital image and video authentication company.
In 2013, Mike was selected as one of Connecticut Magazine’s prestigious 40 under 40 business leaders and in 2014 was nominated for the Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Awards as “Innovator/Executive of the Year”. Mike has been featured as part of Forbes coverage of America’s Most Promising Companies and was profiled in Michael Caldwell’s book “The Corporate Wizards”. In 2015, he was selected by Lawyers Weekly as one of the leading in-house attorneys in New England and in 2016 he was named one of the top middle-market CEOs in America by Axial. In 2019, Mike was a semi-finalist for the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. He resides in Connecticut with his wife and children.
Name | Title | Location |
Executive Management | ||
Michael Votto | Co-Founder & CEO | Connecticut HQ |
Nicholas Votto | Co-Founder & EVP/Sourcing | Connecticut HQ |
Stephen Votto | Co-Founder & CFO | Connecticut HQ |
Peter Votto | Co-Founder & EVP | NYC Office |
Jeremy Jerome | Co-Founder & COO | Connecticut HQ |
Finance/Compliance/Administration | ||
Leah Votto | Senior Vice President of Logistics & Compliance | Connecticut HQ |
Denise Caruso | Vice President of Compliance & Finance | Connecticut HQ |
Nick Aceto | Vice President of Marketing | Connecticut HQ |
David Silva | Compliance Manager | NYC Office |
James Votto | Regional Distribution Manager | Connecticut HQ |
Danielle Hotchkiss | Financial Controller | Connecticut HQ |
Sales and Marketing | ||
Michael Munk | Senior Vice President of Sales | Connecticut HQ |
Peter Cassell | Vice President of Sales NY/NJ | NYC Office |
Frank Battaglia | Vice President of Sales Midwest | Chicago Office |
Andy Tremagilo | Senior Sales Representative | Connecticut HQ |
Danilo Ottaviani | Sales Rep/NYC | NYC Office |
Chad Cooper | NY Key Account Sales Manager | NYC Office |
Fernando Matias | Sales Rep/CT | Connecticut HQ |
Dan Hayes | Sales Rep/CT | Connecticut HQ |
Deidre Magnello | Sales Rep/DM Selections Portfolio | Connecticut HQ |
Adam Matthews | Fairfield County Sales Representative | Connecticut HQ |
Hermes Ortiz | VP of Sales – Southeast Region | Miami, FL Office |
Warehouse and Logistics | ||
Kyle Hunter | Vice President and General Manager of Operations | Connecticut HQ |
Paul Oliva | Warehouse Manager | Connecticut HQ |
Wes Wallace | CT Operations Manager | Connecticut HQ |
Albert DeSisto | CT Driver & Warehouse Team | Connecticut HQ |