Management Team / Advisory Board Bios
Brian Gale
Chief Executive Officer / Director
Brian joined El Tinieblo to advise the Pérez-Salinas and McKean families on managing the brand in the exploding mezcal industry, leading to the formation of El Tinieblo International, Inc. He also serves as CEO of E/Racing, a highly anticipated international electric powered motorsports league slated to launch late 2019. He has a range of management and executive experience across multiple industries including sports and entertainment, talent representation, franchising and private equity. Gale began his professional career in winter sports but is best known for creating the Global Rallycross Championship in 2010. Regarded as a game changing league in a shrinking industry, GRC accumulated over 20M total TV viewerships on ESPN, ABC and NBC. Under Gale’s leadership, GRC raised $8.6M in investment on a valuation of $17M at the end of its second season having started on a $750K loan. Gale served as President and Director until selling his remaining stake after the third season.
Alfredo “Ferruko” Pérez-Salinas Tijerina
President / Director
A third-generation mezcal producer and member of the original family, Ferruko serves as the CEO of Mezcales de Tamaulipas, the owner of El Tinieblo and Rancho El Tinieblo. Under his management, El Tinieblo returned to its artisanal roots and developed strict sustainability and conservation measures throughout the ranch. He is also a prolific restaurateur, having created and operated over thirty-five restaurants, nightclubs and bars with locations in Monterrey, Tijuana, San Miguel de Allende and Playa del Carmen. His flagship is Rio Mississippi 105-b in Monterrey’s fashion district. Ferruko’s passion is traveling to remote destinations across the world with his family in search of culinary and artistic inspiration for his mezcal and restaurant businesses. He holds a degree in foreign trade from the Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Monterrey.
Edgar “Ted” D. McKean, III
Chairman
Ted began practicing law in 1974. Specializing in civil trials, he was admitted to the Bar of the First Circuit Court of Appeals in 1977 and in 1981 to the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States. In 1981, Ted helped found the Village Bank and Trust Company of Gilford, New Hampshire, serving as a Director, Secretary and Counsel until it was acquired in 2005. Attracted to mezcal through his son Matt’s career as a chef, they began importing a variety of agave based spirits into Canada and then later the US. Prior to the launch of ETI, Ted served as CEO of both importing companies, which have since become El Tinieblo International. Ted attended Framlingham College, England prior to getting a B.A. from UVA. Following a stint as an officer in the U.S. Navy, he entered the Catholic University School of Law where he served on the Law Review, receiving his J.D. in 1974.
Cynthia Baron
Chief Financial Officer
Along with her responsibilities with ETI, Cindy is actively involved as a trustee of Lakes Region General Hospital and serves as the vice-chair of the Board of Trustees and vice-chair of the Finance Committee. A UNH graduate, she began working in the finance department at Pike Industries, a construction materials supplier in New Hampshire where she eventually worked her way up to CFO/VP of Finance. Later, she took a position as CFO of the New Hampshire Lottery. In 2017, Cindy was brought in to help manage the finances of the US importing company for El Tinieblo and has since fallen in love with the antiquity and purity of El Tinieblo and its deep rooted history. She lives in Gilford, NH near her children and their families.
Marie "Molly" McKean
Chief Legal Officer
In addition to serving as CLO and leading the Human Resources department for El Tinieblo International, Molly also serves as Director of HR at Saint Anselm College, NH, after ten years of law practice focused on employment law. She is a frequent panelist at HR seminars and has appeared on New Hampshire Public Radio as well as the Dr. Phil show to discuss bullying at work and in schools. Molly is an active member of the Junior Service League of Concord, acts in local plays and enjoys spending time outdoors and tending to her chickens. She travels to Mexico as often as she can. Molly graduated from Colgate University with a degree in Art and Art History and went on to law school at the UNH School of Law in Concord, NH, where she earned her JD.
Emlyn McCutcheon
President Canada
Emlyn McCutcheon has served as President of our Canadian subsidiary, TAMA North Enterprises Inc. since its inception in 2018. Over the last 16 years, Emlyn has gained extensive experience in international business working in commercial banking for both HSBC Bank Canada and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) in Montreal as well as Vancouver, Canada. He holds an MBA in Finance from McGill University, as well as an Honours BA in Economics from Concordia University. Emlyn left the bank to concentrate on his responsibilities with El Tinieblo.
Matthew McKean
VP Sales
As a spirits importer and awarded chef, Matt brings a wealth of diversity and experience to the table. Opening his first successful restaurant on a beach in Costa Rica at the age of 21, he has held numerous chef positions in prestigious kitchens such as The Slanted Door, Larrupin Cafe, the exclusive Downing Mountain Lodge and Restaurant 5550 in Montana as well as the Rio Chirripo Retreat in Costa Rica, leading to a successful career as a world class chef. Matt's most recent restaurant is Melinda’s, spaced underneath the renowned Miami night club Electric Pickle. He is also partnered on Ferruko Pérez-Salinas’ Rio Mississippi 105-b in Monterrey. Matt made his mezcal connection in 2013 when he started the award winning restaurant Cartel in Montreal and partnered with two others to start importing agave based spirits. In 2017, along with his father Ted and Ferruko, Matt began exclusively importing El Tinieblo Mezcal into the US and Canada.
Nikko Gibler
VP Marketing
A Monterrey, Mexico native and key member of the El Tinieblo team for over 10 years, Nikko began as the company’s first brand ambassador & sales representative. He later went on to run social media initiatives and coordinated dozens of events throughout Mexico, New York and Miami. Today, he leads El Tinieblo’s awareness campaigns, digital platforms and collaborations/events out of Los Angeles and Milan. A talented musician and DJ with a global fan base, Nikko is expanding El Tinieblo’s strategic relationships through the brands, artists and venues he connects with on his tours. Nikko has also enjoyed success as a marketing and musical consultant. Over the years, he has advised corporations such as Moda Operandi, Smirnoff, Audi, Red Bull, Casio, and Coca-Cola.
Emily Gale
Communications
Emily joined El Tinieblo International in 2018. As head of communications, she oversees the written message of the brand. She has experience in copywriting/editing, public relations, social media marketing and sales. After studying history and literature in college, Emily worked for Humanscale, Nordstrom and Greystar as well as consulting on communications projects for Global Rallycross Championship, E/Racing League and freelance work doing resume design. In addition to her duties with El Tinieblo, Emily also works in property management for Shea Properties in Denver, CO. She currently lives in downtown Denver.
