CEO and Principal Shareholder

Richard's early career was as a schoolmaster and Head of Modern Languages in two prestigious UK private schools, Trinity School and Wellington College, where he taught French and Japanese.

His first role in the wine trade was as Head of Export Sales for London merchant Corney and Barrow. In 2008, Richard joined the Board of John Armit Wines. That same year, he set up Armit's new office in Hong Kong.

In 2010, Richard took on the role of Global Director of Private Clients and, in 2012, relocated to Hong Kong with his family as Managing Director, Asia.

Richard has enormous experience in advising fine wine drinkers, collectors and investors throughout Asia and UK on their portfolios.

Richard holds a degree in French and Japanese, a Master's Degree in Modern East Asian History, and WSET qualifications Levels 2 & 3 (Distinction). He is a member of the Commanderie du Bontemps de Bordeaux.

Richard’s fine wine expertise is widely acknowledged in the industry. He is often quoted in drinks industry articles and has appeared in television broadcasts as an expert commentator.

Commercial Director

Alex Gonszor is the Commercial Director of Phoenix Fine Wines & Vineyards. His principle role is to take care of the Hong Kong and China trade, as well as global purchasing for the group.

His first role in wine, was for an independent online retailer in London, where he was first introduced to the role of purchasing, and soon became head of purchasing during his time there.

In 2014 he moved to Hong Kong, to join Madison Wine as purchasing manager. Within 2 years Madison Wine was listed on the stock exchange. He developed exclusive brand distribution from some of the top wineries in Burgundy and beyond, and trade networks in Hong Kong. Alex grew quickly within the company to become Managing Director in 2021, before joining Phoenix Fine Wines & Vineyards in 2023.

Operations Manager

Lana began her career after graduating from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University with a Master’s degree in Electronic Commerce. A passion for tasting wine brought Lana to the wine world. She spent two years in the Hong Kong team of Armit Wines before joining Phoenix.

Lana achieved Distinction in WSET Level 2 (Intermediate) and Merit in Level 3 (Advanced). She is fluent in English, Cantonese and Mandarin. She has excellent communication skills and is very patient, thoughtful and experienced in charge of operations.

Marketing Manager

Cici found her interest in wine industry years ago and in 2020 she joined Phoenix with her 4 years’ experience in e-commerce and marketing. She is mainly responsible for the daily marketing activities and now she is promoting Phoenix e-commerce, aiming to offer more convenient and privileged services to Phoenix clients.

Cici holds a Master’s Degree in Chinese Linguistics from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She achieved Distinction in WSET Level 2 (Intermediate) and Merit in Level 3 (Advanced). Her language skills include fluent English, Cantonese and Mandarin, N1-level Japanese as well as intermediate Korean.