Past events

Dame Amelia and healthcare research

Dame Amelia is a governor of the Wellcome Trust Board since 2019 and also chairs the Audit & Risk and Remuneration Committees there. 

The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Sir Henry Wellcome to fund research to improve human and animal health.  The aim of the Trust is to "support science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone", with a financial endowment of more than £36 billion in 2021 and is funding leading research in healthcare. It spent £1.2 billion on charitable activities to improve health through science in 2020/21 and plans to spend £16 billion over the next ten years.  Amelia will talk to us about some of the emerging areas that the Wellcome Trust is focusing on.

Dame Amelia is Lead Director of State Street Corporation in Boston, Massachusetts.   She was a Non-Executive Director and then Chairman of Kinnevik AB in Stockholm from 2011 – 2021 and of the Guardian Media Group plc from 2007 – 2013.  She  worked for Morgan Stanley for 20 years, joining in London in 1987 and becoming Chief Operating Officer and Vice Chairman of the European, Middle East and Africa operations in 2002. Dame Amelia started her career at the US law firm of Sullivan & Cromwell, first in New York and then in Paris.

Dame Amelia is the Chairman of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, a Governor of the Wellcome Trust and a Trustee of Project HOPE UK. Until recently, she was Chairman of the Standards Board for Alternative Investments, a Non-Executive member of the Board of HM Treasury, Chairman of The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation, Deputy Chairman and a Governor of the London Business School and a Commissioner of the UK-US Fulbright Commission.  She also has been a member of the Court of the Bank of England and Deputy Chairman of the National Portrait Gallery. 

Dame Amelia was appointed a Commander of The Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the Queen’s 2018 Birthday Honours List, an honour solely in the gift of the Queen. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2010 Queen’s Birthday Honours List and a CBE in 2002, in both cases for services to the financial services industry. She received The Prince of Wales’s Ambassador Award in 2004. 

Dame Amelia, a British and American citizen, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, USA in 1956. She has a degree in History from Wellesley (1978) and a law degree from the University of Virginia (1983).  She was admitted to the New York Bar in 1984.

Dame Amelia is a keen fly fisherman, hiker, sailor and lavender farmer in the foothills of the Brecon Beacons in Wales.  She is a member of the Somerset Club (Boston), the Manchester Yacht Club (USA), Oswalds (London) and the Reform Club (London).

Please join us for a wonderful evening at Pitzhanger Manor and gardens with some English wines and canapes, some beautiful art and a short talk with Clare Gough, the Director. We will be starting at 18:30 at the Pitzhanger Manor and Gallery.

Pitzhanger Manor is an English country villa famous as the home of influential neoclassical architect, Sir John Soane. Built between 1800 and 1804 and sitting in its original parkland, the Regency Manor is a rare and spectacular example of a building designed, built and lived in by Sir John Soane himself. We are choosing English wines in honour of Sir John Soane. Beautifully restored to Soane’s original designs, Pitzhanger now houses an art gallery and is only 9 minutes by direct train from London Paddington.

Clare Gough, after working as a consultant at McKinsey, moved to the art world, initially as New Media Director at the National Gallery retail trading arm,  before being invited to work for the Director of the National Gallery and becoming its Director of Communications.  She then took on the challenge of leading the conservation  and re-launch of Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery, opening in 2019 with an acclaimed exhibition by Anish Kapoor.  She has also held non-executive charity Board roles and was formerly a Trustee of the Museum of the Home. 

Clare will give a private view of Pitzhanger’s latest exhibition by rising star Royal Academician, Rana Begum RA, as well as give an insight into the eccentricity of the architecture of Sir John Soane, and the fun of marrying his Regency style with Rana’s striking contemporary art.  She will also say a few words about transitioning career from the commercial world to the arts, and the challenges and opportunities of running an arts organisation in the current environment.

We will have the honour to welcome Fiona Duckett, Managing Director at The Winery Hundred Hills and Hundred Hills Vineyards. (https://hundredhills.wine/ ). She will be present  to show us her delicious wines and answer any questions you may have, so don’t miss out!

Before breaking for the summer, join Laurence and Anne in 67 Pall Mall to enjoy a few drinks, nibbles and talk!

Limited Places: 15

Event cancelled but Anne will be in 67 if anyone fancy a drink

EVENT POSTPONED TO JUNE 2023 

(Exact date tbc)

Wendy has lived in Bordeaux for over 30 years, she is a leading Bordeaux wine educator, sharing her passion for Bordeaux through writing, speaking and welcoming people to the region.

She studied a master’s in International Agri-Food Marketing in Paris, working there in food marketing for eight years. Marrying a Sauternes wine maker, she moved to Bordeaux and changed cap.

She is passionate about helping people to get behind an often-unrealistic image of what Bordeaux is and how it works, dusting off what can often be seen as an exclusive and unapproachable wine region. She loves nothing more than introducing wine lovers to the people and the place behind the products.

She blogs regularly about the region on the Insider Tasting website and has written two books: Bordeaux Bootcamp, an insider guide to Bordeaux basics, and The Drinking Woman’s Diet, a liver friendly lifestyle guide.

A certified yoga teacher her aim is to help women develop a healthy passion for wine. 

With her family, she is currently renovating a ruined 16^th century Château in the entre deux Mers, to welcome guests on wine and wellness retreats at the very heart of the Bordeaux vineyards.

https://insidertasting.com

Place: Restaurant St Jaques

We will taste 6 wines from Bordeaux that Wendy will chose to broaden our Bordeaux knowledge.

This event is now being held at Eataly. It is definitely worth a visit if you have never been. Located in the City, it contains lots of Italian foods and wines (so you can also stock up after the event if you want).  I could spend hours there! We will have a private area reserved for us, so that we can listen to Diva and enjoy nice food with our Proseccos.

Villa Sandi is a successful example of that special bond that exists between art and agriculture that characterized the Venetian landscape of past centuries. The link between the magnificence of Venice and the countryside, in the area also described as “Garden of Venice”. It is located in the heart of the Prosecco region, The winery owns estates in all the different Prosecco appellations, from the wider DOC area to the Asolo DOCG gentle hillsides, from the Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG steep slopes to the special cru of Cartizze in Valdobbiadene.

The Villa is a Palladian-style masterpiece dating back to 1622.

Devoted to wine culture for many generations, the Moretti Polegato family, owner of the villa, have fostered this ancient tradition by making Villa Sandi the headquarters of the winery, and by promoting grape growing in the area on a modern basis. The wines have won many awards under the guidance of Giancarlo Moretti Polegato and Villa Sandi is renowned as an excellence in the Prosecco region.

Diva represents the third generation of the Moretti Polegato family and will be talking to us about the wines of the estate and the unique terroirs of the many Prosecco appellations. We will be sampling Prosecco and pairing some nibbles from probably the best place to get Italian food in London, Eataly.

Prosecco DOC Il Fresco Treviso Brut

Prosecco DOC Rosè Millesimato Brut 2021

Prosecco DOCG Valdobbiadene Millesimato Brut 2021

Prosecco DOCG Superiore Asolo Biodiversity Brut

Valdobbiadene Superiore Cartizze La Rivetta Brut 2021

The event will start at 18:30 at Eataly, 135 Bishopsgate, London EC2M 3YD

Price wines and food included: 130£

Please register on the website - A FEW TICKETS LEFT

Please come and taste Dawn's two latest sparkling wines at 67 Pall Mall on 6th May at 18:30 

SOLD OUT

Many of our members have had the pleasure to enjoy some of Dawn Jones-Cooper's great wines.  Dawn is the owner and winemaker at Château de Monfaucon Chateau and works incredibly hard to produce wines that are widely admired for their purity, elegance and the joy they procure.

Dawn will be introducing two wines : the sparkling 2018 blend (her regular blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Semillon, Muscadelle) and also a brand new cuvee, totally unique in Bordeaux  a100% Sauvignon Blanc sparkling.

This will be limited to 20 people maximum, will take place at 67 Pall Mall at 18:30 on 6th May and will include 2 glasses (1 of each sparkling wine). The cost is only to reimburse Dawn and will be 20£/person.

Please sign up asap before the places go!

In the words of another fan

"In a wine trade that is often still dominated by middle aged men in pink chinos, it's massively important that we make every effort to champion 'inspirational women in wine.  I've met incredible people with incredible stories, but few can rival Dawn Jones-Cooper, owner and winemaker at Château de Monfaucon.

First up, she's a fantastic winemaker.  Her commitment to organics and biodynamic principles have helped her extract the maximum flavour out of her vines and into the bottles.  I loved the wines before I met her.  That's important to say before you start hearing about the person and the journey behind them.

Dawn is a force of nature.  I met her first in her salon in Mayfair.  That's right, you heard it, Dawn was (and still is) one of the finest hair stylists in London.  But a late night dare from husband Jay started a journey that saw her complete some of the WSET courses, and took her to Plumpton College to study as a Viticulturist and winemaker.  The couple then sold up in London to buy Château de Monfaucon, a wine estate in Entre-Deux-Mers in Bordeaux with huge potential, but in need of no small amount of TLC.

There is nothing to be done on that estate that Dawn will not have a go at herself.  Initially seen by many locals as a curiosity, this 'crazy English woman' has forged a solid reputation within her community and the wider wine world as one of the winemakers to watch.  Her very first vintage scooped medals at the prestigious Decanter Wine Awards and she's never looked back.

The best thing for us is that there's a very simple way of showing our support.  It involves a glass, a corkscrew, and buying a bottle of her brilliant wine."

Mike Turner, The Buyer, April 2020"

FULLY BOOKED - This event is now closed-

After 25 years in senior roles in government service both overseas and in the U.K., and currently as a Senior Advisor to Boards of global businesses, Sarah will consider how and why intelligence has an important relevance in contributing to Board decision making and strategic planning.  She will demystify some of the tropes of the intelligence world and share some cases to illustrate the power of intelligence.  

A former senior British government official with more than 25 years of experience in national security and intelligence matters in the UK and overseas, Sarah assists companies, family offices and HNW clients on operational, reputational and investment risk matters worldwide. She brings significant expertise in conducting complex, multi-jurisdictional anti-bribery and corruption investigations, asset-tracing and recovery, and provides litigation support for international arbitration and disputes revolving around political, regulatory or integrity issues.

Over the past three decades, Sarah has served as a trusted adviser to Board-level clients on their strategies in the Middle East, Iran and Sub-Saharan Africa. She advises clients in the infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, financial services, energy, and technology sectors on entering or operating in high-risk emerging markets. Sarah also specialises in terrorist financing, piracy and maritime security issues and previously served as Lloyds of London’s senior adviser on piracy.

Prior to joining StoneTurn, Sarah was a Managing Director in the investigations and strategic intelligence practice of a global advisory firm. After leaving government service, Sarah held senior advisory roles in the business intelligence and risk management practices of several private professional services firms. She was previously Chairman, now Council member, of the Risk & Security Management Forum (RSMF) in the UK.

We will be having a full dinner and tasting 6 wines at the Lansdowne Club on March 16th, starting at 18:30.

Wine Theme tbc.

Chantal Moser is the Deputy Ambassador at the Embassy of Switzerland in London. She has spent almost 20 years working for the Swiss Economy Ministry and Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with postings in Brussels, Lima, Warsaw and Bern before arriving in London in autumn 2020. She runs the Political, Legal and Communication Department of the Embassy and also supervises the Economic, Finance, Science and Innovation Department.

Lots of people have a stereotype of a diplomat as someone who attends cocktail or dinner parties with top-level officials, but the truth is there is so much more to the role of diplomats! Most people’s interactions with an Embassy are limited to getting a visa for their next trip abroad or renewing their passport, but the work of an Embassy is critical for deepening the relationship with the host country, in supporting companies to succeed and build networks in a new country, plays a vital role in defending its country’s interests and much, much more.

We will hear from Chantal, whose family runs a wine business, about her career and what diplomats really do. She will talk about the priorities of Switzerland in the UK and we will also taste some of the wines from her family estate - as well as some other Swiss wines - after all, she is also a great Ambassador for Swiss wines!

This event will start at 18:30 on February 23rd at the IOD, 116 Pall, Mall, SW1Y 5ED.

The price includes a sit-down dinner with 6 Swiss wines to be announced later, some of which will be coming from Chantal's family winery

You may remember that we held an event at Cult Wines on November 2nd, as requested by many of you who wanted to invest in wine and understand the dynamics of wine investment. After this event, a number of you continued to express interest in investing together in wine as a London Women and Wine group. 

Olivia has agreed to set up a new meeting on January 18th to finalise the details of a possible group investment with Cult Wines. A proposal of what the terms of engagement would look like will be sent to all of you. So please do make yourself known if you are interested before the January meeting - either by registering or by sending Laurence or Anne an email (if you cannot make the date).

The minimum collective investment is 25k£ for 5 years, so we are looking for 5-10 women willing to invest 3,000-5,000 £ for 5 years in the wine asset class.  And willing to meet together once a year to review the investment strategy with a glass of wine or two!

The event will start at 18:30 and finish by 20:30 latest.

This meeting will be for those who have decided to invest as well as those who are still hesitating.

Looking forward to seeing you all there.

Fees for this event are at the minimum level we can indicate on the website and to cover a couple glasses of wine!

This is the version of the event that will be held physically at Trivet restaurant, a really great restaurant. The price includes dinner. Please get there at 6:30 pm for drinks (dinner at 7 pm).

We are very pleased to listen to Susie Partridge, an amazing modern adventurer who has brought it all back to business

In 2013, aged 32, Susie left a successful career in marketing to pursue her ambition to sail around the world. Motivated by a natural curiosity about people and cultures, Susie set off with her now-husband, Tom, on an adventure of a lifetime. A story that has been featured in several books and magazines, they spent four years sailing around the world, exploring off-the-beaten track places on their 46-foot yacht, Adina.

Susie will talk to us about the highlights – from crossing the Panama Canal, to spending a month at anchor amongst the wildlife in the Galapagos Islands, living as part of village communities in remote Pacific islands and getting engaged at a vineyard in Franschhoek, South Africa – and how she approached the challenges – from learning to live self-sufficiently on board with supplies sometimes days or weeks away, sailing 24-hours single-handed to get Tom to the nearest hospital when he fell seriously ill, and the challenges regularly thrown at Adina and her crew by the weather.  

Susie will share what it taught her, how it changed her perspective on life back on land and how it gave her the confidence to set-up her own marketing consultancy, focused on helping people and brands succeed.

To complement Susie's round the world tour, we will taste 6 very unusual wines.

TRIVET is a collaboration of Isa Bal MS, Jonny Lake Chef and Melissa Furgus Restaurant Manager all from The Fat Duck. It is an amazing restaurant where food and wines complement each other. A unique opportunity to experience the best of both world at a very reasonable price. It is just before Christmas so join us for a fantastic evening!

Price: £145  includes dinner and a glass of 6 unusual wines registration on the website

If you cannot register in the physical event, you can register to  just join and listen:

To join without wines and dinner for the online event: £10 to transfer to our account
Account
The London Women and Wine Club
Natwest
Sort Code: 502101
Account: 31022634
Quote: Susie and your first name