WOMEN OF THE VINE & SPIRITS ANNOUCES VIRTUAL EVENT

By Sophia DeVito

Details have been announced for the Women of the Vine & Spirits (WOTVS) virtual event, WOTVS CONNECT!

The event is scheduled to be held on March 8, International Women’s Day.

The worldwide-leading membership organization is dedicated to pushing the wine, beer, and spirits industry toward a diverse, equitable, and inclusive era. The Women of the Vine & Spirits chose to host a virtual event for 2021 as an opportunity to allow for more global participation.

WOTVS CONNECT! will be the organization’s first event that they can accommodate all of their Corporate Members; in the past, their annual events have sold out. With over 160 Corporate Member companies, the employees will be granted complimentary access to the event.

Women of the Vine & Spirits Connect!

Women of the Vine & Spirits Connect!

The event will have relevant content and powerful speakers, all from the wine, beer, and spirits industry. Rather than how it’s been conducted in the past, WOTVS CONNECT! will be a shorter, work-from-home conductive program.

The three-hour program will include Town Halls on Diversity, Equality, & Inclusion (DE&I) and Business Development & Innovation (BD&I). Also, there will be Roundtable Discussions with senior male leaders in the industry who will share their commitment to DE&I.

Women of the Vine & Spirits

Women of the Vine & Spirits

These two topics are important to WOTVS because of the impact of COVID-19 and racial injustice that has taken place in the U.S. and abroad in the industry.

“At Women of the Vine & Spirits, since 2015 our purpose has always been about both advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and business development,” said Founder & CEO of Women of the Vine & Spirits, Deborah Brenner. “Which is why we are focused exclusively on these two very important aspects of progress for our event; women cannot reach equality without economic growth and an equitable industry.”

Session Details and Confirmed Speakers

BD&I Town Hall:

  • Rhonda Motil, VP of Marketing, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines (moderator)
  • Regan Clarke, VP of Marketing, Pernod Ricard USA
  • Nicole Jordan, SVP, Commercial Transformation & Digital Strategy, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits
  • Cathy Lewenberg, COO, Drizly
  • Laura Petry, VP, Group Brand Director, Emerging Brands, Brown-Forman

Roundtable Discussion: Senior Male Leaders Share their Commitment to DE&I: 

  • Steve Billey, General Manager, Bronco Wine Company
  • Gus Bozzo, EVP, National Accounts, Breakthru Beverage Group
  • Carl Carlson, President, Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey
  • Dan Heller, EVP of Sales, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates
  • Marc Hirten, President, Frederick Wildman & Sons, Ltd.
  • Barkley Stuart, EVP, Director, Government Affairs, Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits

DE&I Town Hall:  

  • Ingrid Hobbs, PMP, US DE&I Lead, and Global D&I Liaison, William Grant & Sons (moderator)
  • Lisa Catanzaro, SVP, HR Strategy & Talent, Breakthru Beverage Group
  • Dr. Atira Charles, Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Moët Hennessy USA
  • Maribel Delgado, Sr. Associate, General Counsel, E. & J. Gallo Winery
  • Erika Hopkins, Corporate VP, Culture & Corporate Social Responsibility, Republic National Distributing Company
  • Victoria Russell, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Beam Suntory

WOTVS CONNECT! is open only to employees of Women of the Vine & Spirits Corporate Members. For those interested in Corporate Membership opportunities, please email Elizabeth Campbell Boyd at Elizabeth@WomenOfTheVine.com. View event details HERE.

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!