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WSTA boosts board with four new members to broaden skillset

17 July 2023 By Arabella Mileham

The WSTA has diversified its board with four new members chosen for their different business expertise and perspectives, it says.

As part of the move, the trade organisation has revised its previous requirements to recruit only the most senior people within a business in order to deepen the pool of potential board members and increase diversity and improve inclusion, it says.

In March this year the association launched a bid to attract a raft of applicants with a different range of skills to the the executive board which saw 40 applicants apply. The four women who were successful include Lorraine Copes, founder of Be Inclusive Hospitality, Trish Lorimer, grocery controller at Freixenet Copestick Limited, Danielle Obbard, of head e-Commerce for Rémy-Cointreau UK and Lara Sills, director of commercial Operations, Mentzendorff & Co Ltd

Mark Riley, chair of the WSTA Board welcomed the new board members, saying it kick-started “a new era for the WSTA board”.

“The idea was to tap into the wider pool of talent in our membership, with a view to bringing onto the board a more diverse range individuals with the skills to contribute to the work of the board,” he said.

He noted that removing the requirement for WSTA board members to hold the most senior role in their alcoholic drinks business, meant it had “been able to bring on board a range of individuals with different perspectives and skills, who will also help us to promote greater diversity and inclusion”.

“This has been a fantastic first experience in helping to find future leaders in the UK wine and spirit trade,” he said.

Chief executive Miles Beale added that the huge expression of interest had provided “a large pool of talent from which to choose” and demonstrated how much interest, support and talent lies within the existing WSTA membership.

“We are convinced that the strength of the applicants means there are plenty of leaders waiting in the wings to contribute to our work in the future. It’s a wonderful position for a trade association to be in,” he said.

New members

Lorraine Copes is a social entrepreneur, hospitality consultant and life coach, who founded Be Inclusive Hospitality CIC in 2020 in order to address the consistent lack of representation of people of colour in positions of influence, and the supply chain. The organisation, which was recognised as one of the UK’s most impressive social enterprises by NatWest’s SE100 last year, aims to spark debate and and delivering initiatives to change that within hospitality, food, and drink sectors.

Last year she was named the GQ Food & Drink Innovator of the year winner and received a special award in the Code Hospitality 100 Most Influential Women in Hospitality list as well as winning Entrepreneur of the Year at the Precious Awards. This year she was named NatWest and Pioneers Post WISE100: Top women in social enterprise.

Copes build her career as an executive director for brands including Gordon Ramsay Restaurants and Corbin & King, but has also been a judge for Guild of Fine Foods Great Taste Awards, Bold Woman Awards UK by Veuve Clicquot, Uber Eats Restaurant Awards, Purple Umbrella Awards and the British Guild of Beer Writers Awards.

Trish Lorimer, grocery controller at Freixenet Copestick Limited, leads the Grocery sales team and has worked at the company for more than four years, having previously managed national accounts for Negociants UK and later Fells. She started her career with PLB Group before moving to Morrisons as a wine buyer, and later managing private and exclusive label sourcing for Australian retailer Coles Liquor. As well as holding a WSET Diploma, she is a Mental Health First Aider and a mentor for The Drinks Trust.

Danielle Obbard, head e-Commerce for Rémy-Cointreau UK manages a team covering the commercial, operational and trade marketing roles at Rémy-Cointreau UK – part of the Remy Cointreau Group. Having previously worked in spirits and beer in sales and marketing roles, specialising in the Grocery channel, she moved into the world of e-Commerce during the pandemic in 2020, attracted to the dynamism and fast pace of e-Commerce.

Lara Sills, director of commercial operations at Mentzendorff & Co Ltd, leads the end-to-end supply chain and day to day operations of the business as well as sitting on the Mentzendorff Leadership Team. Her most recent achievements include leading and setting the company’s Digital Transformation Project and Corporate Social Responsibility Strategies. She also leads the Corporate Social Responsibility projects at Mentzendorff, navigating the business through its carbon footprint measurements and target setting, supporting HR with their people and wellbeing initiatives with a focus on diversity and inclusion, and engaging the business in its charity and community endeavours, through implementing employee volunteering. Prior to joining Mentzendorff, she worked at Charles Taylor Wines. A a WSET Diploma Graduate, Sills also recently completed the General Management Programme at Cranfield University in 2020.