Started career in PR dept of John Harvey & Sons Ltd in Bristol, giving guided tours of the Harvey's Wine Museum and tutoring sherry tastings. Internal move to the Wine Department offered greater opportunities to learn about wine. Vintners' Company Scholarship was awarded to her in 1981 permitting 3 months travel and study in France and Germany. In 1982, took on a role as retail buyer for Annabel's Wine Cellars. This developed into a position as buyer for the group of 4 Andre Simon shops in central London. Passed the MW Examination in 1985. 9 months of world travel ensued including a period of employment in Australia with Brown Bros in Victoria; she continued to work for them via their agents in the UK, Walter Siegel & Co, on her return. 1987-91 employed as Sales and Marketing Director for Paul Boutinot Wines. 1992 to 1995, operated on a freelance basis during which time she wrote a monthly column for House and Garden, co-ordinated and lectured for Leith's School of Food and Wine, wrote copy for wine lists, leaflets etc for Sainsbury's, Bottoms Up and Wine Rack, supplied purchasing strategy plans for Wine Cellar, lectured for Christies Wine Courses, acted as wine guide for Arblaster and Clarke Wine Tours - amongst many other activities. 1995-1998, set up and ran Wines of South Africa, the generic promotional body for South Africa in the UK. During a two-year career break 1999-2001 she completed an HND in Horticulture and Crop Technology. Having run ‘Hunt & Coady’ together with her business partner Tina Coady for some 23 years where the main activities were organising major wine trade tastings for France, Italy, Chile and Argentina, the company has now evolved into Hunt & Speller Ltd with her new business partner Walter Speller. Events are now exclusively for Italy and its wines. She occasionally escorts wine tours to Italy for Wine Scholar Guild.

Current employer: Hunt & Speller Ltd (Director)

Industry sector(s): Events, Wine tourism

Wine region expertise: Argentina, Italy

Market expertise: Italy