Anitha Gandhi is a theatrically-trained actress turned wine professional, working in NYC and always looking for reasons to travel abroad to wine countries. As a top Sales Representative for David Bowler Wine, covering both Manhattan and Brooklyn, Anitha offers her insights and perspective as a mentor for anyone looking to start fresh in this industry, especially in sales, and to be candid about all of the challenges that await, from opening and managing accounts, to education and to managing your own bottom line. Having been a Level 1 & 2 mentor most recently, she is excited to be stepping into the new role of overseeing the IAF of Sales.

As an under-represented member of the wine community (South Asian women), Anitha wants to be a part of changing the landscape of our world of wine, reaching a broader audience - and one which looks more like her...and like you. Interests include helping lift up the voices of BIPOC folx, and not just the ones you see, but also the ones in the vineyards who support this entire industry, mostly in the background. You can follow her on Instagram @happybellyhappylife.

A New York City native, Giuseppe grew up in Italy where he graduated in Economics and Business Administration. Giuseppe moved back to New York in 2002 and in 2010 received his MBA from Fordham Graduate School of Business. Until August 2016, Giuseppe was the Vice President of Portfolio Management for Leonardo LoCascio Selections, the Italian Wine Imports Division of The Winebow Group. In January 2017, Giuseppe founded his own Consulting Company and Import Agency, based in NYC. As an Agent, Giuseppe serves 12 US Markets with a selection of high-quality Italian wineries. In April 2017, Giuseppe became one of the few US-based Italian Wine Ambassador for the Vinitaly International Academy program. You can follow him on Instagram at @glocascio.

Laura has been studying wine since 2006, beginning at the Culinary Institute of America. She’s worked both front and back of house–at establishments including Fig and Olive restaurant group, Locanda Verde, and the Greenwich Hotel. From 2013-2020, Laura worked for Taub Family Companies where she managed different aspects of the business, selling high-volume retail driven brands and ultimately as the NY State Manager of their Fine Wine Division. In 2021, Laura joined Huneeus Wines as the Director of Sales for NY, NJ, DC, MD and DE. Laura has her WSET Diploma in Wine & Spirits and is a Stage 2 Candidate for the Master of Wine program.

Katixa Mercier is the Wine Portfolio Manager and Sales Manager at Favorite Brands in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In her career, she went from creating an award-winning beverage program to being offered a sales position with a boutique distribution company, which sealed her fate in the wine industry. Katixa is first generation American to European parents and spent her formative years in Central America. She is multilingual, multicultural, and multi-talented and can be found barrel-tasting vintages with vintners, translating seminars for foreign wine makers, or behind the wheel of a delivery truck to ensure that her team doesn’t skip a beat.

Georgia Sugerman studied Math and Latin at Oberlin College, initially spending three years on Wall Street in her home-base of NYC before pursuing her passion for wine. She worked weekends in a Tribeca wine shop while still working in finance, all while taking courses at the International Wine Center, where she later obtained her Diploma with the WSET. Georgia spent a decade working for T Edward Wines & Spirits, a NYC-based importer and distributor. She started as a New York City sales rep, then regional sales manager, VP of Sales, and ultimately Vice President. She now works as a Personal Wine Advisor for Direct Wines, a direct-to-consumer marketing company representing wine clubs, such as the Wall Street Journal Wine Club and Laithwaites Wine Club. You can follow her on Instagram at @BrooklynWineMom and @georgia_sugerman.

Michelle (Perry) Egan learned the wine business from the ground up, starting with her first job after graduating with a degree in Marketing from the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management. She joined E. & J. Gallo Winery as a sales representative and, in 2007, joined Constellation Brands’ where she spent 11 years, growing to VP, Fine Wine Marketing and the Direct-to-Consumer. Michelle had a short stint at Realm Cellars as VP, Sales & Marketing and today she brings her extensive wine industry experience to Terlato Wine Group, overseeing the Estate Family Brands wine marketing and Direct-to-Consumer sales for wineries including Chimney Rock Winery, Rutherford Hill, Sanford Winery, and Klipsun.

Claudia grew up in a winemaking family in the Napa Valley in the late 1960s – 1980s. A dual citizen of the U.S. and Germany, she returned to California in 2017 after spending nearly 30 years in Germany, where she ran her own wine import and distribution company and managed the European export market for Schug. For six years, she also served as California Wine Institute’s German representative and its European Trade Education Ambassador. Claudia has a BA in Economics from Stanford University and attained the WSET Diploma in Wine & Spirits in 2009, after which she entered the Master of Wine program in 2010. Through her education and professional experience, she has built a global network, cultivated a deep knowledge of all aspects of the industry and has tasted a broad range of wines of domestic and international importance.

Suellen Tunney has spent the last 25 years in hospitality and sales in the food and wine sector. She began managing restaurants in 2002 and then started a master’s degree program at NYU in the hopes of becoming an esteemed food writer. After a trip to Napa Valley in 2006, Suellen left NYU and eventually landed at Wolffer Estate Vineyard, located in the Hamptons of New York and there she spent 12 years growing the hospitality program as Retail Sales Director. In 2019, she moved to McCall Winesn as the General Manager, where she was more involved in the vineyard and production. Suellen joined the Jackson Family as Portfolio Manager for NY Metro this past October. Suellen’s management style is very inclusive and hands-on. She leads by example, listens well and promotes from within.

Riana Mondavi’s career in the wine industry started at age 10 at her family’s business, C. Mondavi & Family. After completing her studies at Villanova University’s School of Business with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and International Business, she moved to Miami, Florida to work for Southern Wine & Spirits as a Restaurant Wine Sales Associate. In January 2011, she relocated to Seattle to work as the Northwest Regional Sales Manager for C. Mondavi & Family, managing the sales in five states. In 2014, she moved back to Northern California and managed the Northern California Regional Sales and then relocated to Dallas to start as the family’s first Director of National Accounts On-Premise Sales for two years and returned to California to start as the Director of West Coast Chains. Riana is co-proprietor of Mondavi Sisters Collection with her three sisters, which launched in 2011 with Dark Matter Wines. In 2016 her sisters also purchased the brand Aloft Wines from C. Mondavi & Family.

Michele Peters is the French and Austrian Import Portfolio Manager for the US importer, Bowler Wine. She studied for three semesters in France and taught English for two years in Paris before returning permanently to the US. She started at Bowler in 2005 doing general administrative duties, and has now been the Portfolio Manager for more than ten years. She is responsible for managing all of the relationships with the wine growers in France and Austria - deciding which wines to purchase and gathering information from winegrowers and communicating it effectively with the sales team, customers and consumers. Michele writes for the Bowler website, creates sales offers, leads seminars and organizes tastings, events and trips to visit winegrowers. She also manages the purchasing budget for the US, coordinates logistics and manages legal requirements for importing.

A native of Paris, Laurie Taboulet is a wine sales professional with twelve years of experience in the wine industry and a thorough knowledge of fine wine distribution in the United States and France. She has run sales for prestigious estates of Northern Rhône, Bordeaux and Napa, and has interned for harvest at sought-after small producers in California and Oregon. Laurie is currently based out of Sonoma and manages North Bay and San Francisco’s sales for Wilson Daniels. She holds a master’s degree in business from KEDGE and the Level 4 Diploma from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.