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Meet the Team

Andy Lench – Group President
andy@bordeauxwinelocators.com

GVWM UK was established in 1998 by Bordeaux expert Andy Lench. Andy’s talent for spotting great wine at good prices allowed him to develop Bordeaux Wine Locators in 1987, an enormously successful business importing wines from Bordeaux and other classic regions into the USA. Click here to learn more about Andy’s group of fine wine companies.

 

 

 


Kevin Narborough – Purchasing & Trade Sales Manager
kevin@gvwm.co.uk

Kevin looks after all trade enquiries and is the longest serving employee with GVWM. With over 30 years of experience in the wine industry, he has a fantastic wealth of knowledge when it comes to Bordeaux, having visited the region for the En Primeur tastings every year since the 2000 vintage, giving us many years of first-hand experience and knowledge of these wines and the producers that make them. Rest assured however, Kev's expertise is not only limited to Bordeaux.

 

 

 

Please contact Kevin with any Purchasing or Trade Sales enquiries.


Martin Lea – Head of Private Client Sales – UK & Asia
martin@gvwm.co.uk

Martin joined the GVWM Group in 2007 having come from Majestic Wine where he obtained a very good grounding in the wine industry from a retail perspective. Martin quickly adapted and changed to the professional and service driven model of GVWM and along the way found time to study and obtain his WSET Diploma further strengthening his knowledge and credentials within the wine industry. Martin opened the Hong Kong office for GVWM in October 2011 and has led the growth and development with great enthusiasm and energy delivering great success for GVWM and his many clients. He was appointed Head of Private Client Sales for UK & Asia in November of 2017, and in February 2018 relocated to our office in the UK to manage and expand our private client sales operation.

 

Please contact Martin with any Sales enquiries.


Alister Rayner – Sales & Marketing Manager
alister@gvwm.co.uk

Alister joined the GVWM team in May 2019, following more than a decade working with fine wine collectors and investors in England and the US. After a career developing and marketing financial investments, Alister obtained his Wine MBA from the Royal Agricultural College. He worked in the vineyards of Bordeaux before cutting his wine teeth in the London trade, and then spent a number of years in Los Angeles, trading with merchants, dealers, and collectors through the auction houses in the States and Asia, returning to the wine investment market in London in 2016. He has been a judge for a number of years at the International Wine Challenge and is a passionate proponent of both English and Californian wines.

 

Please contact Alister with any Sales or Marketing enquiries.


Matthew Bird – Private Client Sales
matthew@gvwm.co.uk

Matthew joined the GVWM team in May 2023. His first real exposure to wine was as a student at the Royal Agricultural University where he briefly studied the wine industry as part of his degree. After instantly falling under the wine spell, he proceeded to continue his studies in Dijon. From Dijon came the natural move to Bordeaux, to work as a wine tour guide, cycling around the chateaux of St Emilion, showcasing the history and wines of the area. Post pandemic he started work with Mother Vine, a wine shop in the heart of Chelsea. From his time spent in tourism and retail, Matthew has discovered his passion is to provide excellent service and knowledge, to help customers find the best wines for them, which made his move to GVWM an easy choice.

 

Please contact Matthew with any Sales enquiries.


Jodie Askew – Accounts & Office Manager 
jodie@gvwm.co.uk

Jodie re-joined the GVWM team in 2022 in the dual role of Accounts and Office Manager. She previously worked with us from 2008 – 2014, initially in logistics, before moving into Accounts Support in 2011. Between leaving and returning, Jodie studied to gain her AAT qualifications. Jodie has worked in the accounts department of a manufacturing and retail company, producing products for babies and children. After which, she worked as a senior finance assistant in the private care sector, where she deepened her knowledge of accounts and gained vital managerial experience. Jodie has returned with breadth and depth of experience in business that makes her an invaluable asset, bringing a discipline and reassuring thoroughness to the company.

 


Tracy Narborough-Jago – Logistics Manager
tracy@gvwm.co.uk

Tracy has many years of experience in the wine business and as logistics manager prior to joining the company in 2006.

Her experience, knowledge and dedication has been a major benefit to the company, ensuring that our logistics requirements are handled as efficiently as possible – a major requirement for a wine merchant with both UK and overseas movement of fine wines.

 

 


Rob Veitch – Sales, Support and Digital
rob@gvwm.co.uk

Rob joined the GVWM team in 2020, initially on a fixed term contract, which soon became permanent. He provides welcome support to the sales and purchasing team as well as engaging in a few sales himself, having passed his WSET level 1 at the end of 2022. Aside from that, Rob also looks after the GVWM website and social media platforms.

Previously, he helped people find the way around the cities, towns and villages of Britain in his role at AZ maps. After that he spent time working at Gatwick Airport, and more recently as a writer and Assistant Editor at a lifestyle popular magazine based in Sussex.

 


Christine Reeves – Operations Support
support@gvwm.co.uk

Christine is an integral part of the team, providing support to the Sales, Logistics and Credit Control functions.

Christine joined GVWM in 2015 bringing over 10 years experience, having previously worked in business support and import/export co-ordinator roles.

 

 

 


Katie Jago – Operations Support
katie@gvwm.co.uk

Katie provides invaluable administrative support to the Sales, Logistics and Accounts Departments.

Katie joined GVWM in 2016 and has soon become a fundamental part of our team.