Lindsay Held
Chief Commercial Officer, Vices; Founder of ReserveBar
Vices
Lindsay Held is a Wharton MBA and Columbia Law JD-trained entrepreneur, who was the co-founder of ReserveBar, a pioneer luxury spirits e-commerce company, where he was the CEO for 10 years. He is currently an EVP and Chief Commercial Officer of Vices, an experiential gifting company that curates bespoke luxury collections featuring high-end spirits and special and unique accessories and accoutrements from luxury brands across the globe. Vices' clientele consists of corporate gifters and brands that want to connect with their clients and consumers experientially; Vices' gift collections are not just a combination of luxury products, they tell a story and convey on-brand messaging and content.
Lindsay transitioned from investment banking and corporate law 25 years ago into strategic operational roles. Equally comfortable in traditional business environments, as well as non-traditional ventures navigating uncertainty, he has utilized his multi-disciplinary skills to build value for companies in a wide range of e-commerce, technology, entertainment, finance, and heavily regulated businesses.
As co-founder of ReserveBar, Lindsay faced the challenge of not only conceptualizing and launching a new company but also creating an entirely new segment for the multi-billion-dollar spirits industry, whose business model and regulatory paradigm had remained unchanged since the end of Prohibition. Working within those parameters, he and his ReserveBar co-founder created an ecommerce business that compliantly fit within the industry’s entrenched 3-tier system and other regulatory constraints.
ReserveBar became the leader in premium and luxury spirits for self-purchase and all-year-round gifting, ReserveBar became an indispensable partner in connection with craft spirits, special limited editions, private barrels, and celebrity-backed and entertainment licensed spirits brands, such as Aviation Gin, Casamigos, Dos Hombres, 818 Tequila, The Sassenach, and Brothers Bond Bourbon.
Prior to launching his entrepreneurial venture, Lindsay began his career as a corporate attorney at prestigious NY and Washington, D.C. firms, where he advised private and public companies and high-net-worth individuals in diverse transactions, and subsequently, upon graduation from Wharton, he joined the Telecom & Media investment group at Deutsche Bank.
He was named by Goldman Sachs in 2022 to its top 100 “Builders & Innovators” list.