Ian Harris is presented with his MBE

By Lisa Riley

Published: 07 June, 2018

Ian Harris, chief executive of the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET), has been presented with his MBE.

Following his appointment as a member of the order in the Queen's New Year’s Honours List 2018, Harris was presented with his honour by HRH The Prince of Wales yesterday at Buckingham Palace.

Harris received the commendable honour in recognition of his services to the wine and spirit industry following his 25 years on the mainstream commercial side, of which he has been WSET chief executive for the past 15 years.

His time with the WSET had been “the best and most enjoyable” of his time working in the industry, said Harris.

“Education is the foundation for any successful industry and I am privileged to lead an organisation that nurtures future generations of wine and spirits professionals and enthusiasts,” he said.

Going forward, the WSET would continue to work to “build a fruitful future for this great industry”, he added.

Following a successful career in sales and marketing, including 10 years with Waverley Vintners followed by 15 years with the Seagram Spirits and Wine Group in the UK and France, in 2002 Harris' original passion for teaching brought him full circle when he joined the WSET.

In his time at the helm, Harris has overseen the transformation of WSET into the largest global organisation of its kind, with annual candidate numbers growing from 10,000 in 2002 to over 85,000 in 2017.

WSET now offers nine qualifications in wine, spirits and sake across four levels of progressive study, in 19 languages through over 700 Approved Programme Providers in more than 70 countries.

In 2015, WSET received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade. In 2016, Harris was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Drinks Retailing Awards.

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