PRESS RELEASE:
Wines of South Africa Announces New Asia Market Manager – Marcus Ford
17 August 2018, Stellenbosch, South Africa – Wines of South Africa (WoSA) is proud to announce and welcome Marcus Ford as the Asia Market Manager to the team. Based in Shanghai, Marcus will be responsible for running all marketing activities throughout mainland China, Hong Kong and Japan.
Hong Kong born, Marcus has been steeped in the wine and food industries since an early stint at Oddbin’s in the UK, followed later by stints at Harvey Nichols’ 5th Floor and the Oxo Tower in London.
An opportunity to move back to Asia in 1999 where he was part of the successful team of M on the Bund in Shanghai that saw the establishment grow significantly until his departure in 2009 when he established one of China’s first premium wine retailers, Pudao Wines, subsequently opening award-winning flagship stores in Shanghai and Beijing with their focus on serving China’s growing wine cognoscenti. In 2015 the group was acquired by Woolworths of Australia, and Marcus was a key business partner throughout the acquisition process.
The Woolworths acquisition led to a further start-up business, Langton’s East Asia, in Hong Kong where Marcus represented the brand and acted as buyer and Head of Wine and content. Since then he has been working as a consultant on numerous projects for wineries of all sizes in the China market. He is an experienced wine taster and judge as well as being an in-demand speaker on the China wine market at several high-profile events.
Siobhan Thompson, WoSA CEO, states, “We are delighted to welcome Marcus to our team. The Asian market is incredibly important for South African wine producers and knowing we have a person on the ground who understands the challenges and intricacies thereof is invaluable. Both myself and the rest of the team are excited to start planning the way forward for this growing and exciting market with Marcus spearheading things from his side.”
“I’m looking forward to taking on this new challenge with Wines of South Africa. I’ve been very much aware of the concerted efforts that have been made by WoSA in this market for some time already and I believe that there is plenty of potential for South African wine to make a real impact going forward. I hope to be a valuable asset for the industry in this exciting market”, says Ford.
Marcus is set to start his new role on the 20th of August 2018 and, on behalf of the South African wine industry, we wish him all the best of luck.
His contact details are as follows:
Email: marcus@wosa.co.za
Mobile +8613916625080
WeChat: @Shanghaimarcus
Skype: @Shanghaimarcus
ENDS
For more information please contact WoSA Communications Manager, Maryna Calow on +27 (0)21-883 3860 or email her at maryna@wosa.co.za.
About: Wines of South Africa (WOSA) is a fully inclusive body, representing all South African producers of wine who export their products. WOSA, which was established in its current form in 1999, has over 500 producers on its database, comprising all the major South African wine exporters. It is constituted as a not-for-profit company and is totally independent of any producer or wholesaling company. It is also independent of any government department, although it is recognised by government as an Export Council.
WOSA's mandate is to promote the export of all South African wines in key international markets. Traditional markets include the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands, with focus on developing markets for South African wines in the United States, Canada, China, Japan and key African Countries.