Toll Group

Supporting the smooth flow of global drinks logistics.

Vice President Vertical Sales, Liquid - UK

The Worshipful Company of Distillers

Committee Chair, Steward

ewan lacey.com

Working with people and teams to make life and business better.

Some clients also hired me for senior positions.

Clients include:
Goldman Sachs
HSBC Private Bank
Marble Bar
Jascots Wine Merchants
IWSC Group
Hellmann Worldwide Logistics
ProWein
Mirror Group
BBC London
Kavalan
Channel 4
Daily Telegraph
NRS Healthcare
YO!Sushi
Penfold’s
Armand de Brignac
LIDL Foodstores
PWC
Commodity Business Awards
GLG
Jamie Oliver Fabulous Feasts

Commitment 

Many individual founders, business owners and successful executives all the way up to the C-suite.

Founder

Hellmann Worldwide Logistics

As a Global Director – Beverage Logistics, I was responsible for:
Leding teams involved in both origin/destination of trade, while facilitating bilateral transactions and addressing client concerns related to prevailing logistical challenges in market, such as Brexit changes, pricing instability, and space availability; promoting to position of Global Director after providing interim support to business for a period of three years; overseeing strategic planning and managing relationships with key clients, such as Concha y Toro, The Co-Op, The Wine Society, Adnams, and Hallgarten; entrusting with task of driving strategic sales in global beverage logistics sector, while engaging with diverse portfolio of large international customers and renowned brands in the market/fostering collaborative relationships with key stakeholders.
My key highlights in this role include:
• Enhanced skillsets and increased capabilities by restructuring and reorganising of UK beverage team.
• Improved overall responsiveness to client requirements by introducing key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Achieved 20% improvement in productivity by consolidating team under one roof/fostering solid work environment.
• Reduced 30% cost of overhead expenses by merging two separate offices into single environment for UK business.

Global Director - Beverage Logistics

I served as Interim Operations Director – Beverage Logistics and was accountable for:
Providing direct leadership and oversight to beverage logistics teams across multiple countries, including UK, France, Spain, Italy, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, Chile, and Argentina; cultivating strong relationships between global offices and clients to assure delivery of exceptional customer experiences.
My key successes during this role were:
• Drove impressive 25% increase in business unit turnover by achieving significant £50m growth from 2017 to 2021.
• Played pivotal role in development and coordination of highly profitable wine and spirit competition logistics business.
• Elevated EBITDA performance of UK business by transforming break-even state to achieving remarkable 17% revenue.
• Streamlined operations by merging two offices into a single location, delivering substantial cost savings of 30% on overhead expenses.
• Ensured continued competitiveness by redesigning product offerings for key routes, such as Italy-UK and Latin America-UK in response to price fluctuations.
• Exceeded £50M sales revenues/turnover by completing profit/loss (P&L) business leadership, assuming responsibility for strategic sales, business development, and day-to-day supervision of ten global offices.
• Realised £220k profit by demonstrating exceptional performance and achieving 25% increase in revenue across global competitions including Decanter, International Wine Challenge, and International Wine/Spirit Competition.

Interim Operations Director - Beverage Logistics

IWSC Group Ltd

I performed as Managing Director, and my responsibilities include:
Managing day-to-day business operations, including coordinating the customer journey, maintaining quality performance, overseeing technical and assessment procedures, and collaborating with diverse team of industry experts; overseeing team of six direct reports and administered total headcount of 22 FTEs.
My signature achievements were the following:
• Achieved a significant revenue increase of 35% from 2013 to 2017.
• Enhanced EBITDA performance from 17% to 27% by demonstrating substantial improvement in financial results.
• Developed and executed business strategies for the group companies by aligning with ambitious growth objectives.

Managing Director

During my tenure as Interim General Manager, I have finalized multiple tasks related to:
Holding full accountability for diverse portfolio of group companies, including International Wine and Spirit Competition; Strategically formulating and implemented business plans for the group companies, while effectively managing high turnover; leading and directing portfolio of over 16 consumer/trade events at prominent venues such as The Oval, The Carlton Club, Truman Brewery, and The Guildhall.
The following were my key contributions:
• Orchestrated end-to-end project lifecycle management and delivery by encompassing project planning, scope definition, budgeting, and risk management.
• Demonstrated comprehensive business leadership by assuming responsibility for all aspects of P&L, driving strategic direction, vision, and continued growth of organisation.
• Ensued exceptional client experiences and provide internal employees with ample opportunities for professional development by fostering engagement throughout organisation.

Interim General Manager

ewanlacey.com

Director, Business Consultant, Ewanlacey.com
Operations Manager, Wine of the Times
General Manager, Café Med, Notting Hill
Operations Manager, YO! Sushi
Property Manager, Lidl Foodstores Gmbh
Steward of The Worshipful Company of Distillers & Chair of Marketing Committee
Part of the ‘Distillers One of One Team, Distillers
Drinks Expert, James Martin Saturday Morning & Channel 4 Television
Drinks Industry Commentator, Channel 5 Sky News
Drinks Writer, Sunday Mirror; Daily Telegraph, Women & Home
Regular Guest & Contributor, BBC Radio

Additional Experience

With 20+ years of experience in the drinks industry I am still excited by chasing inefficiency out and bringing sustainability and good sense in.

Ewan Lacey

Wine & Spirit Education Trust

WSET (the Wine & Spirit Education Trust) is the world’s leading provider of drinks qualifications and courses. WSET has over 50 years of experience designing and delivering education to help professionals and enthusiasts learn more about beer, sake, spirits and wine. 
As a not-for-profit organisation, WSET’s purpose is “to empower people all over the world through inspiring learning experiences”.
WSET qualifications are available in over 70 countries and 15 different languages. WSET’s global operations are based in London with regional offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai and the US.

My role is responsible for driving the development of the global WSET brand both internally/externally and leading the development of WSET’s presence through all digital touchpoints.

Head of Brand & Digital Marketing

Davy's of London

Founded in 1870, Davy's is a fully independent, fifth-generation family business which includes renowned and historic wine bars around London and wine merchants with over 150 years of experience.

https://davywine.co.uk/
https://www.davy.co.uk/

E-commerce, Digital Marketing & Data

Decanter

Decanter is a world-leading wine media brand. It comprises the magazine, two websites (including its paywall Decanter Premium), the world’s largest and most influential wine competition (the Decanter World Wine Awards) and Europe, North America & China’s premier consumer wine events - the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter.

• Led and managed the global Decanter marketing and brand function, working closely with each vertical department including digital central functions (paid social, SEO, developers, customer revenue), editorial/content, commercial, brand design and events and awards operations - all within a matrix reporting structure
• Provided cross-functional leadership in a global matrix reporting environment, collaborating with digital central functions, editorial/content, commercial, brand design and events and awards operations
• Responsible for successful campaigns including launching Decanter's first digital event during lockdown (Decanter at Home) and launching the brand's first event in the USA (Decanter Fine Wine Encounter NYC)
• Created brand’s first integrated digital media strategy which led to double-digit social audience growth on Instagram and LinkedIn over a 12-month period
• Steered major CRM data enrichment project to drive brand and events growth in North America, resulting in 100k+ increase in first-party and B2B data
• Launched Decanter 360 Academy as a trailblazing D&I initiative within the wider Future business
• Speaker and spokesperson for Decanter at numerous trade events in the UK, China, South Korea and across Europe
• Demonstrated value across the wider Future portfolio by also judging at the Marie Claire Sustainability Awards and both consulting/judging at the inaugural Woman & Home Wine Awards
• Awards:
Winner PPA Awards 2021 - Event of the Year (Decanter World Wine Awards 2020)
Finalist AOP Awards 2021 & 2020 - Best Diversification of Commercial Strategy
Finalist PPA Awards 2020 - Best Magazine Brand of the Year (Consumer)

Head of Marketing

Freelance

Drinks reviewing and copywriting for a number of regional and consumer publications including Decanter, Bournemouth Daily Echo, Suffolk & Norfolk Life Magazine, Dorset Life and more.

Judging includes International Wine Challenge (IWC), Marie Claire Sustainability Awards and Woman & Home Wine Awards.

Freelance Drinks Copywriter and Judge

Phipps

Senior management at multi-award winning food and drinks specialist agency - reporting directly to the company's managing director. 

• Leading on the wine clients in addition to the agency’s marketing function
• Director for Wines from Rioja UK (Rioja’s largest export market) and Ireland, managing a team of seven across a variety of marketing and communications disciplines
• Responsible for creating, developing and executing the region’s integrated trade, consumer and digital marketing strategies
• Created GDPR strategy for the agency and its clients

Senior Account Director

International Wine Challenge

• Blind tasting and judging wines submitted to the International Wine Challenge (IWC) as part of a panel and providing support to the Panel Chairs
• Promoted from Associate Judge to Judge after first year

Judge

NEGOCIANTS UK LIMITED

• Responsible for all brand and trade marketing, communications and events within the UK for Negociants UK, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yalumba - Australia's oldest family-owned winery
• UK brand management of all core equity brands including Yalumba, Oxford Landing Estates, Jansz Tasmania (Australia) plus many more
• Created first digital media strategy for Oxford Landing Estates, aligned with business objectives. Appointed and managed external digital marketing agency, setting clear KPIs and measurements to ensure maximum ROI
• Launched NPD for Oxford Landing (Marty’s Block) as Amazon UK's first exclusively stocked wine brand

*In 2018 the Negociants UK closed and merged with John E Fells.

Marketing and PR Manager

Guild of Fine Food

Blind tasting and judging as part of a panel for the Great Taste Awards, organised by the Guild of Fine Food.

Judge at Great Taste Awards

Westbury Communications

Account Executive, Account Manager to Account Director at Westbury Communications, food and drink specialist PR and trade marketing agency.

• Managed media and trade marketing campaigns for a variety of wine brands, retailers and regions, including M&S, Champagne Jacquart, Jascots Wine Merchants, Oddbins, Inter Beaujolais, Rioja Alavesa & Txakoli, BIVB (Burgundy Wine Board), IVDP (Douro Valley wines and Port), CIVL (AOP Languedoc), Inter Oc (Pays d’Oc IGP), Australia’s First Families of Wine, Provence Wines, Plaimont Producteurs, Marisco Vineyards
• Delivered a three-year integrated marketing campaign for Inter Beaujolais in the UK and Ireland including trade shows and masterclasses, experiential and digital marketing and press office which all aided value growth in the UK market for the region by 3% over this period
• Appointed and managed creative agency to refresh the company’s website and visual brand assets

Account Director

Majestic Wine

Working as a graduate trainee manager in a number of Majestic stores, including some of the company’s highest turnover stores in the London and M25 area.

Graduate Trainee Manager

• A certified digital and brand specialist B2B/B2C senior marketing leader with extensive experience in global, regional and local roles, both agency-side and in-house. 

• Strategic and results-driven with a proven track record of creating and delivering impactful, creative and commercially successful brand and trade campaigns that deliver a strong return and drive business objectives. 

• Commercially astute with significant experience in P&L and A&P budget management (seven figure global and local budgets).

• 360 campaign experience covers the entire marketing mix across digital and traditional marketing channels and technologies. Also maintaining a razor-sharp focus on both the long and the short-term.

• Growth focussed and passionate about continuous development.

• Senior Leader MBA (graduating with Distinction from the University of Exeter Business School) and Chartered Manager (Chartered Management Institute - CMI).

Demonstrated experience and skills include:
Marketing and brand strategy • leadership and management • diversity & inclusion • data and customer insights • stakeholder engagement • NPD • qualitative and quantitative market research • brand and corporate PR/communications • digital and performance marketing • partnership and agency relationships • events and project management.

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Ewan Lacey

Alex Layton

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