Dia Simms serves as the CEO of Lobos 1707 Tequila & Mezcal, a new independent spirits brand that launched nationally in November 2020. Dia brings an impressive track record of building successful brands, combined with her entrepreneurial spirit and deep expertise in the spirits industry to Lobos 1707.
Simms began her career working for the Department of Defense. Seeking a more entrepreneurial path, she moved to marketing, where she cofounded Madison Marketing, a company that focused around both on-premise and off-premise spirits promotions in the Maryland/DC corridor. After moving back to New York where she was raised, Dia excelled in sales and advertising.
Simms spent almost fifteen years working alongside Sean “Diddy” Combs at Combs Enterprises, starting in 2005 as his executive assistant. She grew within the company while building multiple brands and businesses under the Combs Enterprises umbrella. In 2017, Dia was named President of Combs Enterprises, making her the first president in the company’s thirty-year history. The company had been founder-led by Sean “Diddy” Combs until that point. In her role as President, she oversaw multi-billion-dollar brands under the Combs empire, including CÎROC Ultra-Premium Vodka, Blue Flame Agency, AQUAhydrate, Bad Boy Entertainment, Sean John and Revolt TV. Of note, Dia led the transformation of CÎROC Ultra-Premium Vodka taking the previously unprofitable brand to a $2 billion retail value.
Dia was listed as “One of the Most Powerful Executives in the Industry” by Billboard in both 2017 and 2018, as well as named to the Ebony ‘Power 100’ list. In April of 2018 she was an honoree of the Matrix Awards from NYWIC, as well as named to the 2018 Ad Age ‘Women to Watch’ list and Variety’s ‘Power of Women New York Impact List’. Dia serves on the board for Capital Preparatory Harlem Schools as well as the Maryland organization THREAD, which provides underprivileged Baltimore-area high-school students resources to help foster their academic advancement and personal growth. She often speaks on the importance of diverse leadership and accelerated brand building.
Dia graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Morgan State University. She obtained a master’s degree in Management from the Florida Institute of Technology. Dia now resides in Maryland where she lives with her husband, daughter and dog
