Paris, 15 March 2022— FIVS – An association representing 75% of the global wine trade – announced today that Charles Jefferson and Ignacio Sánchez Recarte have been named as interim Co-Presidents, effective March 11, 2022. Greg Hodson has served as FIVS’s president for the past seven years. FIVS’s General Assembly is expected to ratify this action when it next meets in Brussels later this year.
“We all owe Greg a great debt of gratitude for his years of tireless leadership, building FIVS into the effective organization it is today,” said Dr. Sánchez Recarte. “We look forward to furthering Greg’s success and helping to ensure that FIVS continues to grow and expand its engagement in the many policy debates impacting the sector globally,” said Mr. Jefferson. Working within FIVS since 2003, Mr. Hodson has been a major force behind tremendous strides made within the organisation, including growth in its membership and revenues, and becoming the voice for the global wine sector in critical international fora.
Charles Jefferson serves as Vice President of Federal & International Public Policy at Wine Institute, the trade association representing over 1,000 California wineries and affiliated businesses responsible for 80% of U.S. wine production and 95% of U.S. wine exports. Before joining Wine Institute, he served as Chief of Staff for Representative Mike Thompson (CA), member of the House Ways and Means Committee and co-chair of the Congressional Wine Caucus, and he held senior positions for former House Democratic Leader Richard A. Gephardt (MO). Earlier in his career, Mr. Jefferson served in the Clinton White House and on several congressional campaigns in California and nationally.
Ignacio Sánchez Recarte is Secretary General of Comité Européen des Entreprises Vins (CEEV), the association representing European Union wine companies in the industry and trade, bringing together 24 national organisations from EU Member States, plus Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Ukraine, as well as a consortium of four leading European wine companies. Dr. Sánchez Recarte manages the association and its strategic orientation and serves as the voice of the association. Before joining the CEEV in 2015, he served as Director of Internal Market & Sustainability at spiritsEUROPE and Director of Environmental Affairs and Innovation at Bodegas Chivite. Prior to that, he headed the Viticulture Unit and the Economy and Law Unit at the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).
FIVS – Global Trade Federation for the Alcohol Beverage Industry Since 1951
FIVS is committed to providing a venue and developing tools to encourage and secure sustainable development by its members and the wider industry, in keeping with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. FIVS’s membership includes producers, importers, exporters, and trade associations, and it welcomes and collaborates effectively with affiliates from allied industries. For more information, visit www.fivs.org.
