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The wines and words at a retirement dinner for Ian Harris

29 April 2022 By Patrick Schmitt

At a retirement dinner in London’s Vintners’ Hall last night for Ian Harris, the drinks trade celebrated his 20 years as WSET CEO with fine wines and moving words.

The event, which followed Ian’s decision to step down from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust on 15 April – “20 years to the day” since he joined the organisation – saw more than 120 members of the wine industry gather to toast the man’s achievements.

The attendees, who included prominent wine writers Jancis Robinson OBE MW and Hugh Johnson, enjoyed a Champagne reception featuring Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve followed by a dinner where salmon was served with Sybille Kuntz Riesling Spätlese Trocken 2015 and seared Hereford beef with Château Pontet-Canet 2011 (see menu below).

Paying tribute to Ian, Simon McMurtrie, who is chairman of the board of trustees at the WSET, called him “the planner par excellence”, while commenting that he “cared deeply” about the wine and spirits education provider, which had been in a poor state when Ian joined the organisation on 15 April 2002.

Looking back, McMurtrie said of the WSET at the start of this century, “It was losing money, and fast, and Ian fixed it with his energy and ideas”.

Extending the WSET’s reach beyond the trade to consumers, and taking the courses outside the confines of the UK, Ian turned around the organisation, with McMurtrie commenting that “No one is a better salesman than Ian.”

Finally, as testament to Ian’s achievements, he said that the WSET’s student numbers had swelled to 108,000 in the last financial year – a record for the education provider, and one that was achieved in a pandemic.

After dinner, Ian stood up to give thanks to the attendees for their support, telling them that they were all there due to the positive role they had played in his career, while describing himself as “blessed” to be “captain” at the WSET, which he said had grown from a “modest” team in 2002 to as many as 168 employees globally

He then said that the “past 20 years of my working life have been the most wonderful anyone could have wished for”, describing the two decades as “an absolute blast”, before stressing the powerful role of drinks education for the trade, commenting that there is a close correlation between a consumer’s knowledge and the amount they are willing to spend.

As a result, he said that an educated drinker will generate more margin for all elements of the supply chain, while he also urged operators in every sector of the drinks industry to train their staff. Indeed, he said that bosses should never think of education as a cost to the business, but to view knowledgeable employees as “an essential asset”.

Turning to his successor, Michelle Brampton, he said that she “will be brilliant”, adding, “I have no doubt she will take the WSET further”, before saying, “I could not be more optimistic for a bright future for the WSET.”