WOSA names new Asia market manager

Wines of South Africa has announced the appointment of Marcus Ford as its new market manager in Asia.

Based in Shanghai, Ford will be responsible for all WOSA activity in mainland China, Hong Kong and Japan.

Siobhan Thompson, WoSA CEO, states, “We are delighted to welcome Marcus to our team. The Asian market is incredibly important for South African wine producers and knowing we have a person on the ground who understands the challenges and intricacies thereof is invaluable. Both myself and the rest of the team are excited to start planning the way forward for this growing and exciting market with Marcus spearheading things from his side.”

Born in Hong Kong, Ford began his career in the wine trade at Oddbin’s in the UK, then Harvey Nichol’s and the Oxo Tower.

Returning to Asia in 1999 he was part of the original team at Shanghai’s ‘M on the Bund’ until he left for Pudao Wines in 2009.

In 2015 the group was bought by Woolworths of Australia, which led to the creation of Langton’s East Asia in Hong Kong where Ford was a buyer and head of wine and content.

In more recent years he has been working as a consultant for wineries across China.

He said: “I’m looking forward to taking on this new challenge with Wines of South Africa. I’ve been very much aware of the concerted efforts that have been made by WoSA in this market for some time already and I believe that there is plenty of potential for South African wine to make a real impact going forward. I hope to be a valuable asset for the industry in this exciting market”.