The Wine and Spirit Trade Association has welcomed four new members to its Executive Board, bringing with them over 130 years’ experience in the drinks trade.

This week the quartet attended their first WSTA board meeting held in impressive surroundings at the Penderyn Distillery in Swansea.

Joining the WSTA top table were Brian Davis, Director at London City Bond, Gillian Murray, Commercial Procurement Director at C&C Group, Robin Copestick, Managing Director, Freixenet Copestick and Sophie Hogg, Category Director for Grocery Drinks at Sainsbury’s.

Brian has been part of the trade for over 50 years starting in Tooley Street in London in the early 1970’s.

He joined the LCB team 27 years ago and is very proud of the company and its position in the trade as the leading bonded facility in the UK. Brian takes great pride in supporting both LCB clients and the wider trade in trying to understand HM Revenue & Customs.

He also works closely with HMRC and other trade associations in trying to educate officials on the effects of the changes they make in policies and procedures on the trade.

Brian has gained respect in the trade as someone who “wants to make a difference” and is keen to work with the WSTA Executive Board to make positive changes for the membership.

Gillian has over 20 years’ experience working in the drinks industry across Great Britain and Ireland. Her background spans procurement, sales and supply chain strategy.  After originally joining the Tennent’s business in 2014, she is now Commercial Procurement Director at C&C Group, where she leads commercial strategy for the group’s route to market brands, Matthew Clark, Bibendum, Tennent’s, Tennent’s Northern Ireland and Bulmers.

Gillian is a passionate leader and mentor, with a love of the drinks industry. She contributes widely to industry groups, having served as a Board Member and Trustee for the Benevolent Society (Scotland) and supported organisations like the Scottish Tourism Alliance and HIT Scotland. She holds a degree in Economics from Glasgow University, alongside WSET qualifications in wine.

Robin started his wine career at Moreno Wine Importers in the early 1980s where he covered most roles until he became joint Managing Director in the late 1990s. In 2002 he accepted the position of European General Manager for Australian Vintage where he oversaw exponential sales growth as well as starting the very successful launch of the McGuigan brand.

In 2005 Robin co-founded Copestick Murray which was responsible for creating many successful wine brands in the UK and the USA. The most successful of these brands is the now internationally famous ‘I Heart’ Wines.

In 2013 Copestick Murray was acquired by Henkell and Co and in 2019 Copestick Murray and Freixenet UK joined forces after the merger of Henkell and Freixenet with Robin becoming joint Managing Director.

Since that time Freixenet Copestick has become the leading UK distributor of sparkling wines and has also acquired Jascots and Bolney Wine Estate. Freixenet is the Number one sparkling wine brand in the UK and I Heart consistently sells around 30 million bottles around the world.

Robin not only helps run the UK business but also works on a number of global projects for Henkell Freixenet and recently accepted a NED role with Packamama.

Sophie brings over 17 years of commercial leadership experience at Sainsbury’s, where she has led teams across food, non-food and now serves as Category Director for Grocery Drinks, which is a newly integrated category encompassing Beers, Wines & Spirits as well as Soft Drinks, Juice, Water and Energy.

Under her leadership, this combined category has evolved in response to shifting customer preferences, with a focus on health, moderation, and innovation. She previously led the Beers, Wines & Spirits category independently, during which time she led an in-store transformation, strengthened strategic supplier partnerships, and  – together with her team – led Sainsbury’s to win ‘Supermarket of the Year’ at the Drinks Retailing Awards in 2024 and 2025.

A passionate advocate for elevating the in-store experience, putting the customer first and working with brilliant teams, she brings a clear-sighted, collaborative approach focussed on simplicity, impact and delivering for the greater good of the industry.

Mark Riley, Chair of the WSTA Board, said:

“I am delighted to welcome to the WSTA Board some of the best examples of leaders in the wine and spirit trade who bring with them a broad skillset from a range of different businesses.

It is clear the industry continues to face significant challenges, and by harnessing the expertise and knowledge from these four stalwarts of the wine and spirit industry it will help us to ensure that the WSTA meets these head on.”

Chief Executive of the WSTA, Miles Beale, said:

“We are very lucky to be able to be able to call on an increasingly broad group of experienced industry professionals to serve on the WSTA Board, giving us access and insight across the industry at a time when we need it most.

The combination of retailer, wholesaler and wine and spirit producers, brings to the board the perfect cocktail of credentials which we need to help the trade take on the challenges ahead.”