Our Team

HONG KONG RETAIL

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.

Kent Law
Deputy Director | Specialist
kent.law@sothebys.com
 

WORLDWIDE

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.

Jamie Ritchie
Worldwide Chairman
Jamie.Ritchie@sothebys.com

Jamie’s claret obsession has kept him at Sotheby’s since first joining in London in 1990 (that’s 50% of his life!). “I still remember the chateau name and vintage of some wines that my father served the family when I was a teenager, so there was obviously an early interest. At 18, I was buying wines that I liked by the case,” Jamie says.

“Long ago, I calculated that if I lived until I was 70 and drank a bottle of wine every day, I would have 20,000 great experiences. I was pretty sure I would drink those 20,000 bottles, so I decided that I had better learn something about it. There are two ways to enjoy wine: work in the business or earn enough money to buy it. I chose the former.”

Jamie launched the first Sotheby's wine auction in New York in 1994, and loved the U.S. so much that he made it his permanent home. Today he is Worldwide Chairman of Sotheby’s Wine, leading both the retail and auction business. The best place to find him is on a plane, traveling the world for Sotheby’s Wine. He regularly attends tastings and client dinners, visits wineries and conducts auctions for countless benefits. Jamie earned the WSET Diploma in 1988.

In his spare time, Jamie stays in shape by playing tennis, golf and hiking, likes to spend time with his family and travel with them.

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.