He had been leading Drew Estate since 2016—two years after the group was acquired by the American giant Swisher.

Glenn Wolfson, CEO of Drew Estate since 2016, has passed away at the age of 70, the company announced in a statement on Monday, June 29. Last May, he had informed his teams that he was undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer.

After spending the majority of his career as a management consultant and corporate executive, Glenn Wolfson took the helm at Drew Estate in 2016, shortly after Jonathan Drew’s company was acquired by the U.S. flavored-tobacco giant Swisher.

“In 2016 Glenn Wolfson confidently and passionately planted his roots at Drew Estate … and like a hearty oak tree had a disproportionately large impact on our unique ecosystem, culture, and community,” said Jonathan Drew. ​While Glenn’s talents in business, operations, and general commercial practices drove the company to new heights, his influence as a people person was his separate-amongst-equals … his superpower! ​ Our Drew Estate Wolfy was a natural born leader who instinctively knew how to climb into each of our individual psyches and drive our strengths while mentoring us on how to course-correct our personal weaknesses. Most importantly, he accomplished this with love … really, really deep love. ​

Drew Estate stated that its executive team will lead the company until a new CEO is officially announced.

With cigar brands such as Liga Privada and Undercrown, Drew Estate is one of the world’s largest producers of handmade cigars. It operates a factory in Nicaragua and announced last April that it would soon open a facility in the Dominican Republic. In the United States, a significant portion of Drew Estate’s revenue comes from flavored or “infused” cigars.

Photo: ©Drew Estate