Staff Profiles

Ted studied History and Physical Education at Loughborough University before teaching at Magdalen College School in Oxford for 7 years. He gave up teaching to follow his passion for wine and cut his teeth at Stevens Garnier in Wine retail. During this time he travelled extensively and took his wine exams including the Diploma – which he will admit is much harder these days! Frustration and ambition prompted him to start The Oxford Hamper Company in 1985 which by 1992 had metamorphosed into The Oxford Wine Company.

John joined The Oxford Wine Company as Warehouse Manager in 2002. He worked his way up the ranks and now runs the company in his role as Managing Director, having taken over the post from Ted in 2020. John holds the WSET Diploma in wines, and has extensive knowledge across all categories of wines and spirits. When not looking after the day to day running of the company, John travels internationally to wine fairs, ensuring the OWC range offers the best available around the world.

Neil was born in South Gloucestershire and remains a country boy at heart, continuing to spend most summers chasing Salmon on the island of Islay. He is also loves sport and in his older age golf has largely taken the place of cricket and football – and he is now on a ‘course’ most weekends! He joined The Oxford Wine Company in 1994 because he owed Ted some money due to a rogue business partner. He started selling wine into the hospitality industry and has been doing that ever since. Neil has made many friends in the wine industry over the decades – both clients and suppliers from all over the world – and now can’t think of a better job to be in!

Karen has been looking after the Oxford Wine Company’s finance department since 2000, and became a Director of the company in 2017. She grew up in Oxfordshire, and studied Commerce and Business studies as well as completing a secretarial course at Abingdon College. Before she joined us at OWC, Karen spent time working at North Oxford Garage and Finders Keepers. When she’s not keeping the company finances in shape, she enjoys keeping herself in shape by going to the gym, running and gardening.

Emily has worked at The Oxford Wine Company since 2015. She studied English Literature at Pembroke College, Cambridge and went on to study Law. However, her heart wasn’t quite in that and after spending some time teaching English in Hong Kong and Tokyo she found her way to Oxford where she joined us as a Shop Manager. Emily passed her WSET Diploma in 2016, and she is now working on the Practical Papers of the Master of Wine programme, having passed the Theory Exams in 2022. When her head isn’t buried in a book, Emily likes to experiment in the kitchen, cooking up new dishes to pair with her favourite wines.

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Aljoscha was born in Cape Town and lived the city life until the age of seven when he moved to the South African countryside. He studied Politics, Economics and Sociology at Stellenbosch University, and during his time there worked at a number of wine farms. After graduating Al moved to the UK to take up a job at a friend’s pub on the Norfolk Coast. He left again for the Alps, then South East Asia and South Africa again, before coming back to the UK. He joined The Oxford Wine Company as Assistant Manager of our Botley Road shop, then Spirits Buyer, and now heads up our range-wide buying operation. Outside work you can usually find him in front of a braai under the supervision of his better half Sabrina.

Thom is West Oxfordshire born and raised. He grew up in Bampton where he now lives with his wife. After leaving school, Thom studied Biology at the University of Gloucestershire. Thom has a real passion for wine, and immediately after leaving University he started work for Majestic, during which time he completed his WSET Level Three. He joined The Oxford Wine Company in 2016 as the manager of our Standlake Shop. Since then his role has evolved and Thom now takes an active role in the buying and operations of the company. He passed his WSET Diploma in 2023.

Charlotte joined OWC in 2022, in a brand new role as Company Administrator. She was well prepared, as she had spent the previous ten years at Oxford University Press keeping a large team of reps organised! She is a keen and talented seamstress, and runs her own soft furnishings business alongside her work with us. In her spare time, Charlotte enjoys quilting, vegetable growing and reading.

Lynn spends her time at OWC assisting the smooth running of our accounts department. She is Oxfordshire born and bred, and when she isn’t keeping our company finances organised, she likes to spend her time watching sports – particularly horse racing – or going on cruises. She is the proud mother of two sons, and enjoys a cheeky glass of Chardonnay.

When he left school, John trained as an actor and worked in theatre and TV for five years. He loved it but eventually felt he needed a more secure lifestyle which led him to work in hospitality for many years in various roles, from cocktail bartender to pub manager. His move into the wine trade proper was when he started work at Oddbins in Oxford, and after several years there he joined us at OWC. In 2018 John trained as a WSET Educator, and he now heads up our education arm, taking responsibility for our WSET courses, customer tastings and staff training.

Katy joined our team in February 2020 as a Retail Assistant, before moving quickly up to a new role as Retail Manager in October of the same year. The Oxford Wine Company was her second job in the wine business, having spent time working at Waddesdon Manor before joining us. She studied English Literature at the University of East Anglia, during which time she became captain of the Women’s Rowing Team. Katy completed her WSET Level Three in 2021, followed by the WSET Diploma in 2024.

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Lucy studied Maths and French at the University of Liverpool, before a change of plans made her forget about accountancy and pursue a much more interesting career in wine. After gaining her WSET Level Three, she joined Grape Expectations, an independent wine merchant in Marlow, where she spent two years as Assistant Manager. In 2024 Lucy commenced work on her WSET Diploma where she met OWC Shop Manager Nick. Nick introduced Lucy to our team and two months later she joined us as a Shop Manager! Outside of work Lucy loves to travel – particularly if a vineyard visit is on the agenda – go on hikes and listen to 70s rock bands.

Mark is originally from a farming background, but decided that life behind the wheel of a tractor was too anti-social. Two harvests in Saint-Émilion after leaving school sparked a serious interest in wine. Itchy feet led Mark to travel extensively throughout the Alps, Colorado and Switzerland as well as Australia, Southeast Asia, Mexico and India, working a multitude of jobs just to keep travelling! Mark joined Majestic Wine in 1986, where he stayed for 18 months before heading back to Australia to do a vintage at Penfolds. After a long journey over land back to the UK from Australia, Mark re-joined Majestic where he stayed for almost thirty years. He joined us at OWC in 2017, spending his time working in our three Oxford shops.

Nick is a true local, having been born in Oxford, raised in the West Oxfordshire Cotswolds, and now lives in Eynsham with his wife and their two house rabbits. After finishing his A-Levels Nick spent twelve years working in manufacturing, from the shop floor up to supply chain management where he dealt with international suppliers from Europe, Asia and the US. However, like many of us at OWC, Nick decided that he wanted to build a new career in an area he is passionate about: wine! He has completed his WSET Award in Wines Level Three, and is currently working on the Diploma. His interest in wine and spirits is complemented by a passion for cigars, music and classic men’s style – in fact, he must be the best-dressed member of our team!

Romain has serious wine pedigree, being born in Champagne and having spent much of his life living in Languedoc-Roussillon. His family are still based in France – Cognac to be precise – and he visits them there regularly. Romain moved to Oxford for some new experiences, and built a career in hospitality, learning all the basics from a French chef. After several years working in some of Oxford’s most highly regarded restaurants and bars, Romain decided it was time for a change and came to us at OWC in early 2024. His enthusiasm for wine and spirits is infectious – of course for the wines of the Languedoc, but he also particularly loves Italian wines and Mexican Mezcal. Romain has completed the WSET Level Three Award in Wines, and has also worked a harvest at the legendary Languedoc estate Mas de Daumas Gassac.

After studying Economics at Southampton University and taking a year off to travel to Asia and Australia, Tim joined the BBC’s Drama department. He rose through the ranks and spent twenty exciting years producing a range of shows filmed in the UK and around the world. Having had a lifetime’s interest in wine, Tim decided to begin WSET studies in 2018. During this time he joined the OWC retail team. This led to further responsibilities overseeing part of the company’s trade sales portfolio, managing accounts in and around Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. Now alongside both of these roles, Tim is embarking on the challenge to develop his skills as a wine educator to share the world of wine more extensively!

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Charlie was born in London and lived there until the age of four when he moved to the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales. He won a Royal Navy Sponsorship and studied Politics, Economics and Social Administration at London School of Economics and Goldsmiths College, University of London. He served a number of years in the Royal Navy before settling in Teddington South-West London where he worked in IT sales for a number of years and worked for one of Britain’s most successful Software start-up companies “Autonomy”. In 2001 he moved back to Cardiff and fancied a change. This turned out to be delivering for a small Cardiff wine merchant where he got his first WSET exams. In 2007 Charlie joined The Oxford Wine Company where he heads up sales in South Wales.

Min Yee’s background is in strategy consulting. She graduated from Merton College Oxford with a Masters in Biochemistry, and after graduating spent time working with firms in Hong Kong, London and New York before taking a career break. Min Yee had been a wine lover for some time, and during this time embarked on the WSET Diploma. A stint spent at Château Méaume in Bordeaux gave her some practical experience before she returned to England and joined The Oxford Wine Company as a Shop Manager. After a period working in retail, she took over responsibility for Corporate and University Sales, and passed her WSET Diploma in 2022.

Richard’s first role in the wine trade was in 1996 with Champagne Lanson UK, following which he worked for a number of wine importers. Over that time, Richard has worked closely with The Oxford Wine Company as a supplier, getting to know the team here very well indeed. He joined the wine trade after eleven years of various selling roles, including stationery, luggage and sportswear, but fell in love with all things wine and has not looked back. Richard has WSET Level 3 (although it wasn’t called that when he passed!) and joined The Oxford Wine Company in January 2024. When not working with wine, he’ll either be on the tennis court, golf course, travelling or in the kitchen.