Our Team

Wine has been part of our culture for 3,000 years. Like art, its enjoyment is fundamentally subjective, to make great wine you need both science and creativity in equal measure. Wine brings families and friends together not just to eat but to down tools for a while and share the day's events. It's the glue that our society increasingly needs. My favourite wine? Barolo at a push but, fortunately, I will never need to decide. Wine's beauty lies in its diversity; there's one out there to suit every budget and palate.

Michael Palij MW, Founder

Beth is the Buying Director at Winetraders (UK) Ltd. Previously she was with Direct Wines (Sunday Times Wine Club/Laithwaites) where she was Global Buying Manager for nine years with responsibility for wines from Spain, Central & Eastern Europe, South America and various regions in France. Whilst at Direct Wines, Beth was awarded ‘Buyer of the Year’ in The Drinks Business. Prior to this Beth was a Buyer at Alliance Wine after moving to the UK from Australia, via France, where she worked in various roles at the Syndicat de Bordeaux et Bordeaux Supérieur. Beth is the Regional Chair at the Decanter World Wine Awards, among other competitions. She is a member of the Gran Orden de Caballeros del Vino as well as a member of the Confrérie de Tokaji.

Beth Willard, Buying director & Winetraders Spain

Edmund built up his industry knowledge spending a decade working his way up in hospitality – from bartender to bar group manager to wine buyer, he has certainly done the hard graft. His love of wine and perhaps more so, his love of spirits started at Hotel du Vin which resulted in his completion of WSET diploma, and more recently the level 3 award in spirits. Edmund has been with Winetraders since 2018. When not charming London’s finest sommeliers, he is tending to his collection of carnivorous plants, which he may or may not throw into the odd wine sale if you're lucky.

Edmund Skinner Smith, Business Development Manager & Head of Digital

Vivi started her love affair with all things Italian with a degree in Italian from UCL. She used this to become a broker in the city for 10 years with Italian Institutional clients and so spent huge amounts of time over there. She subsequently re-trained with the WSET to focus on Italy and completed her Diploma with Michael in 2008 and from there started to work with him. Since 2019, Vivi has covered the South West for Michael at Winetraders having moved to Cornwall full-time.

Vivi Blount, Sales - South West

Hailing from North Yorkshire, Rupert graduated from Edinburgh last year having written his dissertation on the Ancient Greek Fine Wine trade. His love of wine stemmed from his grandfather and was honed working for Adnams and Majestic Wines.  WSET level 3 qualified, Rupert primarily looks after London and the Southeast, sometimes taking business up North so he can see his homeland. Outside of wine, Rupert plays hockey for the Battersea Wanderers and is also known to tread the boards from time to time.

Rupert Waley, Key Account Manager

Hailing from the Lake District, our ace accountant and Finance Manager Viv studied in Manchester before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant back in the rainy Lakes. She has had a busy career as a partner, sole practitioner as well as a good stint in the tourism industry. Viv moved from Cumbria to Oxfordshire, via the north-east of England and Wales, working with a charity, where she decided to combine her love of wine and numbers by joining Winetraders in 2014. When not setting our competitive pricing, Viv enjoys exploring the beautiful Cotswolds surrounding her, who doesn't?

Viv Bell, Finance Manager

Nicola does all our invoice and credit control and has done for the last 16 years. She has a soft touch and patience of gold, but fail to adhere to terms and she can be quite persuasive! Living in Oxfordshire with her family, Nicola always puts her two kids first, and now the third in the shape of a 14th month old Labrador called Kobe. She has yet to bring him to the office which we think is rather unfair.

Nicola Hoesli, Invoicing and Credit Control

Dildora is the new blood in the office team. Originally from Uzbekistan she moved with her husband to Turkey where she attained a degree in Public Administration from Istanbul University. Dildora has worked for over 15 years in various roles in purchasing & logistics before starting at Winetraders in September 2022. Since then our operations have become smoother and smoother under her watchful eye. She has also just passed her WSET level 2! Her office conversation often revolves around her 12yr old son, “the joy of my life”, as well as gardening and delicious dinners she’s cooked for friends. Dildora’s latest passion has been playing rugby for the ladies’ team in her local club.

Dildora Husanova, Logistics Manager

Holding both UK and US passports and having travelled to over thirty-one countries, Aisling's passion for wine was born out of a love of travel and cuisine. She continues to cultivate this global interest as she is currently undertaking her undergraduate M.A. in Social Anthropology at the University of Edinburgh, where she is also the Vice President of the University’s Wine Society. With an internship in sales and marketing at a wine distributor under her belt, she was immediately inspired and keen to pursue a career in the industry post-university. She is now in the process of completing her WSET level two certification and has begun working with Winetraders since May 2023. When not tending to her studies or writing about wine, she can be found booking her next plane ticket, attending a yoga class, or cheffing up a storm.

Aisling Kelly, Sales and Marketing Executive