Meet our team

We're all passionate about wine investment and how it can benefit you. Find out more about us here.

Wine Investment Questions

Who we are

Peter Shakeshaft

Founder & Chairman 

Peter founded Vin-X to ensure a safe wine investment service is available for every interested investor. 

Peter established Vin-X in March 2010 to make wine investment accessible and safe for all investors.

He is a founder and director of the Wine Investment Association (WIA), which works to protect investors in fine wine, and a commentator on the industry in mainstream media.
 

Patrick McConnell

CEO 

Patrick guides our team to deliver the best wine investment service we can to suit your needs.

An experienced business leader and entrepreneur, Patrick has held senior positions in global corporations and has achieved success in creating and managing multiple start-ups.

He joined the Vin-X team in 2018 as CEO to manage the company’s ambitious growth strategy.
 

James Shakeshaft

Commercial Director

James directs our fine wine acquisition and portfolio management teams.

James has ‘lived Vin-X’ since its conception in 2010. WSET qualified, he has visited vineyards around the world developing his knowledge and love of wine.

He directs our procurement team to ensure our clients have access to the most highly sought after investment wines in the world. James leads our specialist portfolio management team and works closely with Chris Robshaw in our Sports & Entertainment division.
 

Chris Robshaw

Director of Sports & Entertainment

Chris directs our specialist service for sports and entertainment professionals.

Chris Robshaw is one of England's most iconic rugby players, captaining England in 44 internationals and leading Harlequins RFC in its most successful period. His specialist role with Vin-X combines his passion for fine wine and a business opportunity with significant growth potential.

A keen supporter of a number of charities, Chris launched the Kerslade Robshaw Foundation with his wife Camilla with the aim to empower young people through music and sport.

Mary-Anne Morgan-DeGray

Operations & HR Manager 

Mary-Anne manages our administration and HR systems, making our service easy and secure for you.

Mary-Anne is a member of the founding Vin-X team and a key architect of Vin-X’s market-leading, specialist systems. She manages our expert administration team, champions our client services, and is the leading force on driving new standards of care for our hard-working crew. 

A qualified HR professional Mary-Anne, looks after our team from recruitment to retirement, keeping us all organised and looked after, which in turns means we are in the best place possible to look after you. 
 

Paul Johnson

Chief Financial Officer

Paul oversees the secure financial management of your wine investment.

Paul graduated from Oxford University (University College) with a degree in Zoology and went on to qualify as a Chartered Accountant with Touche Ross (now Deloite).

Having worked primarily in the manufactuing sector, he joined the Vin-X team in 2020 and heads up our Finance Department. Data-driven, Paul is responsible for the financial management of Vin-X and the administration of c. £30M wine under management.

Richard Gray

Head of Digital Marketing

Richard leads our Digital Marketing efforts to grow Vin-X and deliver the best possible customer experience for our clients.

Richard has over 15 years’ experience in direct to consumer marketing and e-commerce and joined with a  background in financial services, manufacturing and recruitment.

He joined Vin-X in October 2022 with a significant remit to optimise our marketing performance, and transform our digital platforms to be best in class.

Katie Souter

Marketing & Investor Information

Katie keeps you informed about the wine investment market.

Katie is a graduate in Hotel & Institutional Management and following Operations and Sales management roles with Forte plc retrained in corporate finance. She assisted over 20 companies to list on PLUS and AIM markets. 

Katie joined the team in 2010 and is passionate about helping our clients to understand the benefits of investing in wine. She is responsible for our specialist wine investor information.

Louise Pearce

Client Services Administrator

Louise manages your wine investment storage account with our specialist partner, LCB.

Louise joined the Vin-X administration team in 2015 and manages the storage arrangements for our clients’ investment wines with our specialist partner, London City Bond. 

Louise ensures the careful management of our client wine accounts from first purchase to the sale of all wines including stock movements.
 

Katy Palmer

Sales & Procurement Support

Katy manages the administration of our fine wine purchasing and client sales

Katy is a qualified member of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply with twenty years’ experience purchasing stock and services, brokering deals for best overall cost, service, and delivery.

Katy joined the Vin-X team in 2022 bringing a wealth of experience from her previous roles to provide administration management for our Procurement team and our clients’ wine sales when they choose to exit their investment.

Zoe Awcock

Procurement Specialist

Zoe helps us source the finest investment wines for you to add to your portfolio.

Zoe brings a depth of knowledge in fine wine having achieved a BA Hons in International Wine Business and the WSET Level 3 qualification. Zoe has worked in the sales department of two English vineyards since graduating from specialist wine institution, Plumpton College.

Zoe’s second passion to wine is travel and she loves to combine the two. Zoe joined the Vin-X team in August 2022 keen to develop her skills further in the specialist area of fine wine investment.

Bella Harding

Partnership Portfolio Manager

Bella joined our team in September 2023 as a Portfolio Manager, and quickly impressed our senior team with her work ethic and eagerness to learn about the wine industry.

In addition to supporting our clients with their wine portfolios, she also works on the development of our partnership and introducer programmes.

Her background prior to Vin-X was in customer facing roles in the Beauty sector, responsible for guest satisfaction and luxury skincare sales.

Warren Rumsey

General Manager, Vin-X Tasting Cellar 

Warren will make sure you enjoy your wine!

Warren brought a wealth of experience in events, wine and commerce to the team when he joined Vin-X in 2016.

Responsible for special projects and business development, Warren has put his WSET qualifications to good use, opening Vin-X’s first Tasting Cellar.

He is also driving the expansion of our wine bar operations and trade supply to hotels and restaurants.
 

Joe Arnold

Head of Sales

Joe heads up our specialist team of Portfolio Managers who are focused exclusively on matching the best investment wines to our clients’ portfolio requirements.

Formerly a property investment specialist, Joe joined Vin-X in 2017, seeing the potential of fine wine as alternative asset for individual investors and as a career option for himself.

Joe has developed an impressive knowledge of the wine investment sector and holds WSET Level 2 Qualification in Wine. His expertise and ability to inspire and motivate colleagues ensures we continue to deliver a market-leading service and strong performance for our clients.

Guy Bolland

Senior Portfolio Manager

Guy’s career path began in the music business as a talent scout progressing to running an independent record label. Broadening interests led him to become a sales director for a corporate events company dealing with HNW clients.

A change of direction saw Guy work in the financial markets prior to joining the Vin-X team in Spring 2022. His passion for fine wine led him to achieve WSET Level 3, and this combined experience has made him a perfect addition to the Vin-X team.

 

Eliott Flack

Senior Portfolio Manager

Eliott joined our Account Management team in 2021, the year in which he also attained a Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist award. Elliot is passionate about wine and exciting markets with great growth potential. 

With his analysis-based approach and excellent customer service, Eliott is committed to helping investors understand and enjoy the benefits of investing in fine wine.

He also holds the WSET Level 2 qualification in Wine.

 

 

 

Lany Ashwell

Portfolio Manager

Lany joined the Vin-X team in 2020, having worked in Business Development roles across a number of different industries.

Her experience spans such as commercial property, design & build, and property investment.

Lany began investing in fine wine herself and, found it so compelling decided to pursue a career as a Portfolio Manager with Vin-X.

 

 

Edmund Cole

Portfolio Manager

A graduate of the specialist wine institution, Plumpton College, Edmund offers our clients a depth of knowledge with a BA Hons in International Wine Business and the WSET Level 4 Diploma.

Extensive travel around Champagne and Bordeaux grew his passion and expertise and affirmed his ambition to build a career in wine.

Following roles with wine retailer, Majestic and an internship with NyeTimber, Edmund joined our Portfolio Management team in Autumn 2021.

Steve Palmer

Portfolio Manager

Steve joined us after spending over 8 years developing in wine knowledge in customer facing roles. This was largely gained by managing various wine bars across the South-East.

As his passion for fine wine grew, he opted to undertake the WSET Level 3 in Wine, and he has also graduated with a BA Hons in International Wine Business at Plumpton College.

Thomas Campbell

Portfolio Manager

Thomas joined our team in September 2023 as one of our Portfolio Managers.

He's spent the last 10 years working in the hospitality sector in customer-facing roles, managing different pubs and restaurants.

It's here that he developed a passion for wine, and he's currently furthering his learning by taking his WSET Level 2 qualification. Outside of work Tom is a big sports fan.

 

Geoffrey Dean

Wine expert

Geoffrey will help you learn about investment wines and regions. 

Geoffrey is a published wine journalist and features regularly in trade and mainstream press. He has worked with the Vin-X team since 2015, as the author of some of our specialist reports, and his experience and contacts in the world of wine make him a valuable member of our growing team of market experts. 
 

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What our clients have to say

We pride ourselves on providing an excellent customer service. Here's what our clients have to say about their wine investment experience with Vin-X.

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