LQR House appoints Leo Chen as CEO as founder steps down amid shift to securities trading

LQR House Inc. announced that founder and chief executive Sean Dollinger resigned effective October 16, 2026, and that Leo Chen assumed the CEO role immediately. The leadership change supports the company's pivot toward its New Zealand‑based acquisition, Fusion Five Continents Securities, and a technology partnership with ByteDance. Dollinger will focus on a separate spirits‑e‑commerce venture and AI projects outside the public market. The board expressed confidence in Chen’s finance background to develop an AI‑enabled brokerage platform.

The new CEO’s operational experience is intended to accelerate LQR House’s transition from a spirits e‑commerce business to a cross‑border securities trading intermediary, which could affect the company’s revenue mix and growth prospects. Investors should monitor how quickly the firm implements its AI‑driven brokerage strategy and any impact on its capital formation activities.

  • 1Sean Dollinger stepped down as chief executive officer effective October 16, 2026.
  • 2Leo Chen became chief executive officer effective immediately.
  • 3The change follows LQR House’s strategic pivot toward its New Zealand acquisition, Fusion Five Continents Securities.
  • 4LQR House entered a technology agreement with ByteDance.
  • 5The online spirits business will be moved to an entity owned by former CFO Kumar Abhishek.
  • 6Leo Chen has more than 10 years of executive management experience in large enterprises.

Sources