Villa Maria: staying on the radar

Villa Maria’s first ever chief operating officer talks to the drinks business about a new brand for the UK, how to raise the profile of Hawke’s Bay and why this producer’s biggest selling wine in China is white. Having built an international career working for major advertising agencies such as Saatchi & Saatchi and Ogilvy & Mather, with clients ranging from Unilever to McDonald’s and Singapore Airlines, Richard Thomas joined the New Zealand wine producer at the start of this year as its first COO.