Troy Christensen appointed Chair of The Drinks Trust

By Lisa Riley

Published: 19 January, 2021

The Drinks Trust has appointed Enotria & Coe CEO Troy Christensen as Chair of the charity’s Board of Trustees, alongside three new patron appoitments.

Christensen initially joined the charity’s Board of Trustees in 2018, having been a long-standing supporter of The Drinks Trust both personally and through Enotria & Coe.

Taking on his new role with immediate effect, Christensen brings extensive expertise as an industry business leader who will look to build on the extensive work and repositioning the charity undertook in 2020, said The Drinks Trust.

Christensen said: “This remarkable charity has represented and defended employees of the wine and spirits industry for over a hundred years. After the unbelievable challenges 2020 presented to our industry through the impact of Covid and government policy, this is a very relevant time for The Drinks Trust.

“The support it offers can be life-changing and reminds us how we can give back through initiatives like The Drinks Community. Combined with the ongoing conversation about the creation of a Minister for Hospitality, the work of The Drinks Trust will be more important than ever in the next few years."

At the same time, the charity has announced that global rum ambassador Ian Burrell, whisky specialist and consultant Becky Paskin and drinks expert and broadcaster Jaega Wise have joined The Drinks Trust as patrons.

They join existing patrons Matthew Rhys, Jancis Robinson MW OBE and Olly Smith, as well as founder patron Tom Yusef.

“The help and time from our new patrons to further our causes whilst helping The Drinks Trust to reach new audiences is greatly appreciated. We are excited to be working with such dynamic and inspirational people in the drinks industry,” said Yusef.

The Drinks Trust introduced its patron program in March 2020, with the aim of raising awareness and increasing the charity’s reach and impact.

Last month, The Drinks Trust unveiled its The Drinks Community Mentoring Programme, a key part of its recently announced The Drinks Community initiative.