Our people
Meet the people behind WSET
A global team united by a shared belief in the power of drinks education.
Michelle Brampton, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Our CEO Michelle Brampton joined WSET in February 2022. She is the driving force behind our strategy and purpose.
Michelle is passionate about growing our values-led culture and business where trust, integrity, inspiration, empowerment, dynamism and inclusivity underpin everything we do, especially our interactions with our people, course providers and students.
Michelle regularly features in the top ten of the 100 Most Influential People in Drinks and has over 20 years working in the wider drinks industry. Bringing a wealth of experience with her to WSET, she previously spent 19 years at Treasury Wine Estates, where she most recently held the role of MD Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) from 2018 to 2021. She was also on the boards of both The Drinks Trust and the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA).
Michelle is extremely proud of WSET’s collaborative and inclusive culture. She is passionate about helping to create a more sustainable and socially inclusive global drinks industry. She is co-founder of Drinks United – a joint initiative by WSET, WSTA and The Drinks Trust to make the UK drinks industry a more diverse, equitable and safe place to work.
Dr Laura Catena, Honorary President
Dr Laura Catena has been WSET’s Honorary President since 2023. Well-known as the ‘face of Argentine wine’, she is currently Managing Director of Bodega Catena Zapata.
Dr Laura Catena is a Harvard and Stanford trained biologist and physician, author, fourth
generation vintner, and founder of the Catena Institute of Wine. She was a practicing
Emergency Physician in California for 27 years while also working for her family winery, Catena Zapata, and starting her own wine projects, Luca, La Posta and Domaine Nico, in Mendoza, Argentina.
Dr Catena, a leader in sustainability, was named Old Vine Hero 2023 by the Old Vines Conference, for her work in preserving Argentina’s ungrafted, massale, genetically diverse old vines. She recently led her family winery, Catena Zapata, to be awarded ‘World’s Best Vineyard’ 2023. Dr Catena’s advocacy for wine in moderation as part of a healthy lifestyle is featured on her website www.indefenseofwine.com.
OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
OUR TRUSTEES
Our board of trustees is made of representatives from our original founding organisations.
Tamara Roberts is currently serving as Chair of the Board of Trustees.
The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA)
The WSTA represents over 300 companies producing, importing, exporting, transporting, and selling wines and spirits in the United Kingdom.
It provides market data, industry information, and updates to its members, as well as providing opportunities to influence UK government policy through committees, networking groups, and events.
WSTA representatives:
- Lulie Halstead
- Tamara Roberts
- Sukhinder Singh
Worshipful Company of Distillers
The Worshipful Company of Distillers is a Livery Company of the City of London dating back to the reign of King Charles I.
Today it focuses on to supporting spirits education and vocational training as well as giving to charitable causes, especially those involving young people.
Worshipful Company of Distillers representative:
-
Georgie Bell
The Vintners' Company
The Vintners’ Company, with its first charter granted in 1363, is one of the Twelve Great Livery Companies of the City of London. The company devotes a proportion of its resources to furthering wine education in the UK as well as donating sizeable sums to a number of London-based charities, especially those concerned with alcohol abuse.
Vintners’ Company representatives:
- Miles Beale
- Andrew Paynter
- Jo Thornton
The Institute of Masters of Wine
The Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) was founded by the Vinters’ Company and the WSTA. It is a membership organisation whose members are the Masters of Wine. The IMW’s mission is to promote excellence, interaction, and learning across all sectors of the global wine community.
Institute of Masters of Wine representative:
- Regine Lee MW
