Beyond Covid-19 and Brexit – where to next in the UK and EU Markets?

David Gleave is the founder and managing director of Liberty Wines. He set up the leading wine company in 1997, which now imports and distributes premium wines from 23 countries and works with over 350 producers, including over 30 of Australia’s foremost winemakers. David has worked in the UK wine trade since 1983. Born and educated in Canada, he has lived in the UK since 1978, and in 1986 he passed his Master of Wine examination. Throughout his career, he has spent at least 5-6 months of every year travelling the world, including at least one trip to Australia, giving him an unrivalled knowledge of the country’s wines. David is also a shareholder in Willunga 100, a Grenache specialist from McLaren Vale founded in 2005. 

Regional General Manager at Wine Australia for the UK and Europe since 2015, Laura previously spent 5 years heading up the wine development team at Tesco. She has also held significant roles at SPAR, HWCG and Sainsburys. Laura's specialities include UK bottling, all aspects of supermarket retailing and marketing.

Simon Stannard is the Director of Policy at the UK Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA). He joined the WSTA in September 2013, having previously worked for the UK Government for over 20 years, including ten years at the UK’s Representation to the EU in Brussels, where he was responsible for negotiating, amongst others, EU food safety laws. Simon leads WSTA’s work on Brexit, represents the WSTA at meetings of the industry in Europe and internationally, and chairs the FIVS’s Working Group on Social Sustainability and also the European Federation of Wine and Spirit Importers and Distributors.