The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has welcomed three new Board members, chosen for their different business expertise and perspectives.   

Joining the WSTA Executive Board last week were a global spirit giant and two SME wine businesses – one a distributor part-owned by three wineries and the other representing independent wine merchants.   

Starting their three-year terms (*biogs below) are Lee James, Managing Director UK, Ireland and Nordic markets at Rémy Cointreau joins Kim Wilson North South Wines’ Founder and Managing Director and Hal Wilson, Owner, Cambridge Wine Merchants.   

Mark Riley, Chair of the WSTA Board, said:   

“We are delighted to welcome three new WSTA board members, who add a fantastic blend of expertise garnered from their formidable careers in the wine and spirit sector.  

It is incredibly important to us to ensure we do our utmost to meet all members’ needs. Having a diverse range of individuals offering expertise from varying perspectives is crucial to the WSTA delivering for its membership. We look forward to working with Lee, Kim and Hal to navigate through what continues to be a challenging time for the UK drinks trade.”  

Miles Beale, Chief Executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, said:    

“The WSTA is proud of its broad-based membership, which allows us to represent the whole of the wine and spirit industry supply chain. It’s a great pleasure to welcome aboard three enthusiastic, talented and experienced new board members, who will be great representatives for their business types and assets to supporting the work of the WSTA.  

Our aim is to give a voice to every wine and spirit business, no matter how big or small. We are delighted to add to our top table Hal, aka the ‘King of the indies’, Kim, founder  and MD of an award-winning, growing mid-sized distributor, along with such a seasoned drinks trade expert, in Lee, who works for one of the big global luxury spirits companies.”    

Lee James, Managing Director UK, Ireland and Nordic markets at Rémy Cointreau overseeing the portfolio which includes iconic terroir focussed spirits brands such as Rémy Martin Cognac, Louis XIII Cognac, Cointreau, Mount Gay Rum, Bruichladdich, The Botanist Gin and Champagne Telmont.  

Lee first joined the UK wine and spirits industry as a graduate trainee in 1998, first with Seagram’s UK Ltd. and went on to work for Allied Domecq Wine UK with sales responsibility for the UK off trade and Ireland distribution.  

Prior to joining Rémy Cointreau in 2024, Lee was with Pernod Ricard for almost two decades, working through the company in numerous UK and global senior sales and marketing roles across spirits, wine and Champagne in the UK and Australia. 

Lee holds the WSET Diploma and is a Rectifier of The Gin Guild. 

Kim Wilson, Founder and Managing Director of North South Wines’ Founder is an award-winning wine distributor.  

Since establishing North South Wines Kim has created and led the collaborative and tenacious team that has been behind the company’s extraordinary success: Indeed, North South Wines has experienced year on year growth since its incorporation in 2014 to become the £33 million annual turnover enterprise it is today.     

Kim has a proven background in sales and in 2013 won ‘Drinks Business Young Achiever of the Year 2013’ whilst working as Sales Director for a major UK wine company. In their tenth year of trading in 2024 she was awarded the Drinks Business ‘Women of the Year’.  

Hal Wilson, Owner, Cambridge Wine Merchants, started in 1993 when he decided that Cambridge, a city with deep wine roots, deserved an independent wine business of its own among the plethora of national brands and supermarkets.   

Over the last 32 years Cambridge Wine Merchants has steadily diversified into specialist retail, wholesale, fine wine, WSET education, private client, franchise, online and hybrid wine bar/shop channels. With ever-closer links with the University of Cambridge it is also one of its primary Drinks Partners, involved in educating, fund-raising and supplying every corner of that world-class academic community where wine is still treasured as a crucial thread in its social fabric.  

Hal believes UK Independent wine businesses are among the most innovative in the wine world and works together with other like-minded business owners to improve their offering, value, service and systems.