Our Team

HONG KONG RETAIL

Tom Baxter 
Deputy Director | Private Sales Manager
Tom.Baxter@sothebys.com

Tom Baxter joined Sotheby’s in August of 2020 and was initially based in the London office on New Bond Street. Prior to this, he held Senior Sommelier and Wine Buyer positions at two Michelin-starred restaurants: long-standing Michelin guide stalwart Pied-à-Terre, where he ran the beverage programme, and Brett Graham’s The Ledbury. His continuous interaction with discerning collectors on the restaurant floor and considerable exposure to fine wine combined to facilitate an eventual (and perhaps inevitable) move to Sotheby’s. His particular passion for the wines of Burgundy, Champagne and Spain (his first love in the wine world) extends well beyond the offices and auction rooms of Sotheby’s.

Tom relocated to Hong Kong in March 2024 having spent two years in New York, where he was responsible for creating and maintaining relationships with private clients across the United States. From Sotheby’s headquarters in Asia, he relishes the opportunity to continue this work with clients across the region as Private Sales Manager for Sotheby’s Wine.

Aside from his wine acumen, Tom is a graduate of the University of Cambridge where he read Chinese Studies at Pembroke College and the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. Foreign languages are a veritable passion of his and the desire to use them was in part what brought him to Sotheby’s – namely, Mandarin, French, Spanish and basic Cantonese (a work in progress).

Tom obtained the Certified qualification from the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2019 and in 2021 passed the WSET Diploma in Wine and Spirits.

Finna Sze
Fine Wine Sales Associate
finna.sze@sothebys.com

With 7 years of experience in the wine industry, before joining Sotheby’s Finna studied the OIV Master of Science in Wine Management in France, with the support of Alexandre Yersin Excellence Scholarship. During the program, she visited more than 300 wineries to learn more about viticulture, winemaking and wine business in over 27 counties.

Finna holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honors) in Management from Hong Kong Metropolitan University, and the French Wine Scholar and Spanish Wine Scholar certificates, amongst other wine qualifications. Having finished her MSc Wine Management degree, she is now completing the WSET Diploma in Wines and Spirits. In her spare time, she enjoys displaying her affection for all things wine through communicating on her widely-followed page ‘Nothing More Than Wine’.

HONG KONG AUCTION

George Lacey
Head of Wine, Asia
George.Lacey@sothebys.com

George Lacey initially joined Sotheby’s in February 2021 in London, as the Head of Sales for the UK Wine department, before moving to Hong Kong in November 2022 to take on his current role as Head of Wine, Asia. During his time with Sotheby’s on New Bond Street, he oversaw the department’s first consecutive “White Glove” single-owner sales for more than 5 years, with “Icons Only” and “Four Centuries of Progress | Direct From Lynch-Bages”, which respectively achieved 207% and 180% of their estimates, the best results for wine in London since 2019. In this period, George also delivered a six-fold increase in the number of single-owner auctions offered in the UK. Having performed professionally throughout the world as a tenor and organist prior to his career in wine, George brings his flair for performance to the Sotheby’s rostrum as an accomplished auctioneer, and has been involved in setting numerous world-record auction prices, including the highest price paid at auction for a bottle of the legendary 1945 Mouton-Rothschild, as well as brokering the deal for the Pièce des Présidents at the 2021 Hospices de Beaune auction, setting a world-record price at the time for any barrel of wine sold in the Hospices’ history (US$900,000).

George cut his teeth in the wine world whilst studying Natural Sciences at Cambridge, where his Organ Scholarship curiously but fortuitously allowed him access to his College’s (well-stocked) cellar. Having subsequently worked in diverse environments from quantum physics research, to private equity, and as a professional classical musician, he eventually saw the light and joined the wine trade. Prior to his time at Sotheby’s, George spent four years in Singapore as the head of Berry Bros. & Rudd’s Southeast Asia business, before which he worked as a Wine Educator in their St James’s headquarters. Having worked in various roles in the fine wine industry in both London and Asia, with many of the industry’s most respected names, George brings a proven track record in sales and relationship management from across all four corners of the wine world, and considerable experience in managing some of the world’s most highly-regarded collections.

Particularly passionate about the wines of Germany, Austria and Burgundy, he believes that wine collecting is fundamentally about sharing and community, and that generosity, people, and fun are the three things that are most central to the enjoyment of wine. He loves nothing more than sharing great bottles with like-minded wine lovers the world over, whether they be from the most coveted, established domaines, or emerging and as-yet-undiscovered gems.
 

Paul Wong
Head of Wine & Spirits, China
Paul.Wong@sothebys.com

Paul Wong joined Sotheby’s Wine Department in 2012 as a Wine Specialist and is currently the Head of Department of Wine and Spirits Auction in Asia. For Paul, Wine was initially a hobby turned into a lifelong profession. Trained as an engineer, he gradually became a travelling wine educator and eventually settled down as an auctioneer. He has been involved in many Sotheby’s record-breaking auctions, more recently, such as The Philanthropist’s Cellar (2018), Tran-scend-ent Wines (2019), and The Summit, A Complete Cellar (2020). Graduated from University of Toronto with a bachelor’s degree in Engineering, he also holds the Diploma in Wines and Spirits issued by the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET). He speaks fluent Cantonese, Mandarin and English.
 

WORLDWIDE

 Victor Rabot 
 VP | Head of Buying, Merchandising, and E-Commerce 
 Victor.Rabot@sothebys.com

Victor joined Sotheby’s Wine Hong Kong in 2016. After working 8 years in the wine and spirits industry in Hong Kong, Victor moved to New York in 2019 as AVP, Fine Wine Buyer in charge of wine and spirits merchandising and category management for both New York and Hong Kong Retail.

A French citizen who grew up in Agen (in southwest France), Victor had lived in Hong Kong since 2011, when he began working for Jebsen Fine Wines in their private/corporate division. Victor’s passion for wine started in 2005 after visiting domaines in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, meeting the people and learning the story behind their wine. “It was something very special,” Victor says. “Since that time, my passion has never stopped.” After high school, he spent two years studying winemaking and viticulture in Saint-Emilion. Victor has a bachelor’s degree and an MBA in Wine Marketing and Management from Bordeaux International Wine Institute (part of INSEEC Group). His studies allowed him to work in various wine regions of France, from Bordeaux (at Château Pape-Clément) to Bandol.

“What is enjoyable with wine is that it brings people together, but it’s also about discovery, because each wine is different,” he says. “When I am not working with wine, I read about it to learn more.” Victor is always open to new producers and regions, but his favorite is the Rhône Valley. He also enjoys film photography, watching movies, trying new restaurants, going to the beach, and surfing.

Vanessa Conlin, MW
Global Head of Wine Retail
Vanessa.Conlin@sothebys.com

Master of Wine Vanessa Conlin is the Global Head of Wine Retail for Sotheby’s, overseeing all wine e-commerce and brick-and-mortar retail, as well as content and Sotheby’s owned labels.

Previously, she was the Chief Wine Officer for Wine Access, a national online wine provider. Vanessa is also the co-creator of Pas de Cheval, a line of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons in collaboration with winemaker Maayan Koschitzky.

Vanessa has served as the Director of Sales and Marketing for several of Napa’s most prestigious luxury estates including Arietta Wines and Dana Estates. Previously she was the wine buyer for two prominent Manhattan wine retailers and the Wine Director for a Manhattan-based wine bar.

As an avid supporter of charitable causes, Vanessa is on the Board of Directors for Jameson Humane, a Napa Valley-based animal rescue and sanctuary, and has chaired the organization’s annual charity wine seven times.

Prior to falling in love with wine, Vanessa worked as a professional musician, performing internationally and on Broadway, and holds a Master’s Degree in Music.

Nick Pegna
Global Head of Wine & Spirits
Nick.Pegna@sothebys.com

Nick joined Sotheby’s in August 2023 as Global Head of Wine & Spirits. Nick has 30 years of industry experience in the fine wine trade in setting up, leading and managing wine & spirit businesses internationally.

Prior to establishing his own fine wine brokerage, Nick spent 23 years at Berry Bros & Rudd where most recently he ran the global sales fine wine teams. Before this, he set up and ran Berry Bros Asian businesses in Hong Kong and Singapore, in the early days of the expansion of those markets. Nick was Co-Chair of the Hong Kong Wine & Spirit Industry Coalition which successfully lobbied the Hong Kong government for the abolition of wine duties in 2008.

Nick was a member of the Board of Directors of BB&R Limited from 2006 to 2016, and from 2016 onwards, Nick led Berry Bros wine & spirits business across the whole of Asia-Pacific.

A graduate of St. Andrews University, Nick has worked in the wine trade across general management, with sales, marketing, finance, buying, HR and strategic planning all areas of his key experience.

Nick has been involved in tasting and buying from barrel in Bordeaux since 2000 and Burgundy since 2005. Nick was appointed Commandeur D’Honneur de L’Ordre du Bontemps, Medoc & Graves – Sauternes & Barsac in June 2005 in Bordeaux, and Commandeur de Bordeaux in 2006; Nick was also appointed Chevalier of La Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin in Dec 2006 in Burgundy.

Serena Sutcliffe, MW
Honorary Chairman


Serena is the Honorary Chairman of Sotheby's Wine, having previously been Worldwide Head for twenty-five years, from 1990 to 2015. She is a Master of Wine, passing the exam at her first attempt, and is considered one of the world’s leading authorities on wine.  A former Chairman of the Institute of Masters of Wine, Serena was made a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government in 1988.  She was elected to the Académie Internationale du Vin in 1993 and, in 2002, she received the New York Institute of Technology’s Professional Excellence Award.  In 2006, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Society of Bacchus America. Also in 2006, Serena was awarded the title of Chevalier dans l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur for her seminal work in promoting and selling French wines.  She is the first person in the British Wine Trade to receive this honour. 

Serena is an internationally recognised wine writer and renowned taster, and writes regularly for many international publications.  She is a regular lecturer and broadcaster in Europe, the United States and Asia.