JULY 19, 2023
This year’s Symposium brought together experts to explore a range of issues, trends, and opportunities facing Canadian wine growers, featuring insights behind wine and beverage sales, bolstering diversity in our industry, destination development and more.
Dr. Ignacio Sánchez Recarte
Secretary General of Comité européen des entreprises vins (CEEV)
CEEV represents European Union wine companies in the industry and trade, bringing together 24 national organizations from EU member states, plus Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Ukraine, as well as a consortium of four leading European wine companies. Dr. Sánchez Recarte manages the association and its strategic orientation and serves as the voice of the association. Before joining CEEV in 2015, he served as Director of Internal Market & Sustainability at spiritsEUROPE and Director of Environmental Affairs and Innovation at Bodegas Chivite. Prior to that, he headed the Viticulture Unit and the Economy and Law Unit at the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).
Asad Amin
Head of Syndicated Solutions, Ipsos
Asad is Head of Syndicated Solutions at Ipsos, focused on the Food and Beverage and the Financial Services verticals. This includes the Alcohol Consumption Tracker (ACT), which is subscribed to by market leaders across all alcohol categories in Canada and the U.S.
Asad specializes in the setup and launch of large syndicated services. In his 20+ year tenure in the Canadian and U.S. market research industries, he has worked for a wide variety of Fortune 500 companies across multiple verticals. His area of expertise is in understanding consumption behaviour and uncovering insights to derive future trends. Asad presents at numerous food and beverage industry events and contributes across several media publications.
Trevor Lui
Restauranteur & Author
Trevor has made a life and career surrounded by the sights and sounds of food and drink. He was awarded the 2022 Social Advocate Award by Restaurants Canada and was named to the 2023 Power 60: Inspiring Asian Canadians of Influence. A diverse builder of innovative implementation, brand marketing, operations and ground-zero build outs, he prefers a good, honest meal on a street corner to being tied down to a corporate boardroom. He’s a lover of “the story” and inspired with each bite and sip around him, and believes we are all connected through our dining experiences.
Trevor’s agency, Highbell Group, curates uniquely immersive culinary events that push the boundaries of innovation coupled with a growing list of clients that seek their services for branded video content in the style of his well-documented Soulful Food Stories series. Trevor is also co-founder of the agency Quell, representing food and drink talent with a focus on broadening BIPOC work and leadership.
Beverly Crandon
Sommelier & Founder, Spice Food & Wine Group; and Co-Founder, Vinequity
Beverly has been able to lend her hand, both as a consultant and as a direct leadership employee, to various organizations, from Fortune 500s, to start-ups looking to generate mind share, revenues, and a recurring member-base in their area of discipline. With the Spice Food & Wine Group, Beverly combines her wine education, love of wine, and work experience to broaden wine appreciation and advancement in those not deemed the “traditional” wine consumer or professional.
As a founding member of Vinequity, a not-for-profit that aims to amplify the voices of BIPOC wine professionals in Canada, Beverly is acutely fashioned to do just that. Her overarching motto is: Wine should be inclusive and, through that, approachable. No one should be denied the pleasures of vino!
Ginny Gidi
Senior Vice President, Multilateral & Policy Analysis (MPA), International Alliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD)
Dr. Gidi has led the Multilateral & Policy Analysis team at the IARD since 2017, and has served as the Managing Director of IARD’s U.S. Office since 2020. In this role, she oversees engagement with the WHO and a range of other multilateral organizations. In her previous role at AB InBev, she helped create and execute their Global Smart Drinking Goals and launch the AB InBev Foundation, embracing a harm reduction approach to alcohol consumption.
Dr. Gidi holds a Doctorate in Public Health (DrPH) from the University of California – Berkeley.
Ralf deGroot
Producer, CorkScrewedTV
Ralph has worked in telling stories in one capacity or another for over 20 years. A graduate of The Second City Training Co. Conservatory program, he studied under the tutelage of some of Canada's funniest talents. He's worked as a writer; produced and directed short and documentary films; worked as an actor in film and television; and most recently produced and co-hosted a lighthearted and educational lifestyle series called CorkScrewed, a show about wine. With experience on both sides of the camera, Ralph understands what it takes to tell a story and is always excited to play a role!
Patrick Gagliardi
Producer, CorkScrewedTV
Patrick is a co-creator and executive producer of the show CorkScrewed, a fun way to learn everything about wine! During Patrick's studies of film, acting, and interactive arts and sciences at Brock University, it became apparent to him that there are many different elements required to produce viable creative productions. Upon graduating, Patrick was hired by the university to develop a program educating students on strategies for collaborative production. Patrick went on to produce television, theatrical films and online web series, while building his own media company, PGG Media Group Inc.
