ABOUT RAY CHADWICK
Ray Chadwick has held a number of key strategic executive positions in the wine industry with great success. The Wine Enthusiast Magazine honored him with their Man of the Year award in 2008. In November 2007 the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) co-honored Mr. Chadwick and chef/owner Thomas Keller of the French Laundry for their work enhancing cultural diversity. He now does wine industry consulting.
Ray served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, the wine division of Diageo, beginning in 2001, when he assumed responsibility for the integrated wine operations of Guinness UDV North America and Seagram Chateau & Estate Wines. On July 1, 2009, Ray stepped down from that role after 35 years of overall service.
At Diageo Ray oversaw an outstanding collection of wines from California, Washington, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Argentina and France. During his tenure there he was instrumental in the acquisition of the Chalone Wine Group in 2005 and Rosenblum Cellars in 2008. He oversaw tremendous organic innovation in the premium wine segment, and prompted much growth and change in the company and the industry as a whole.
In August 2010 Ray Chadwick was appointed as Corporate Executive Vice President, Wine, at Young’s Market Company, one of the county’s leading wine and spirits distributors, with overall responsibility for the company’s wine business. He then served as President and Chief Executive Officer at Wilson Daniels, one of the country’s leading wine importers.
Previously, Ray served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Seagram Chateau & Estate Wines Company, where he was responsible for the overall direction of the finance function, long range and strategic planning, international sales, business development, information services, and environmental affairs. He served concurrently as Managing Director of Barton & Guestier, S.A., and had functional responsibility for the finance function at the Seagram Beverage Company.
Ray first joined Seagram in 1974 and worked in a variety of roles, including market research, sales and finance. He also spent time in London in an international marketing role for Brown-Forman. He served as integration leader when The Seagram Classics Wine Company and Seagram Chateau and Estate Wines Company were merged in 1996, and he served as co-integration leader during the merger of Diageo and Seagram wine operations in 2001, which lead to the formation of Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines.
Ray Chadwick holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Virginia, as well as an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago. He also studied in France, including a year in Bordeaux on a Fulbright scholarship. He recently served as Chairman of the Board of Wine Institute, currently serves as a Director at Wine Institute and Klein Foods, Inc., and is on the Advisory Board of California-China Wine Trading Company. Ray has also served as a Director at the Napa Valley Vintners, China New Borun Corporation (NYSE; BORN), the Inertia Beverage Group, and the Sonoma State University Wine Business Management Program.