All aboard as new crew take the plunge at GWS

By Andrew Catchpole

Published: 13 June, 2025

Global Wine Solutions (GWS), the superyacht and luxury sector wine provider, has further strengthened its senior sales team with two new appointments.

The first of the pair, Argentine-born Agustín Amura (pictured, above), brings a blend of superyacht experience born of being a dive instructor, coupled with WSET qualifications and experience working in New Zealand’s vineyards.

Meanwhile, his new colleague Giles James (pictured, below) hails from a London restaurant background, having gone on to develop a career as a consultant, including work with New Zealand wineries, while in a further parallel also training as a free diver.

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The pair come aboard at GWS as the company drives expansion from its offices in London, Miami and Monaco, having been acquired by Coterie Holdings in December last year.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Agustín and Giles to the GWS family,” said Liam Steevenson MW, CEO of GWS.

“Their combined industry knowledge, global perspective, and passion for wine will elevate our service offering even further. As we continue to grow, their expertise will be invaluable in deepening relationships with clients and driving strategic expansion.”

As part of the growing Coterie Holdings group of businesses, which folds Lay & Wheeler, Lay & Wheeler Trading, Coterie Vaults warehousing, wine-lending platform Jera and Hallgarten & Novum Wines into its portfolio, plus a 10% stake in wine investment platform WineFi, GWS has benefitted from the resources offered by its new owner.

At the time of its acquisition, Michael Saunders, CEO of Coterie Holdings, said: “Global Wine Solutions is a natural fit for Coterie. Their expertise in sourcing and distributing fine wines and spirits to some very specific customer sectors aligns perfectly with our vision for growth and delivering excellence across the industry.”

Steevenson added: “Working alongside the incredibly talented Lay & Wheeler team and with the resources that Coterie Vaults offers us and our clients, dramatically enhances our capabilities, helping us continue to deliver outstanding solutions to our customers.”

The addition of Amura and James to the GWS team is aimed at furthering its reach into the luxury market of high-net-worth individuals, also helping furthering Coterie’s ambitious and growing reach across the trade.

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