Ridgeview CEO Tamara Roberts Named Sussex Businessperson of the Year
This week, English sparkling wines specialists Ridgeview’s CEO Tamara Roberts was awarded ‘Sussex Businessperson of the Year’ at a ceremony hosted by the Sussex Business Awards at the Grand Hotel in Brighton. Celebrating 31 years in 2019, the Sussex Business Awards are one of the most sought-after accolades in the region. Tamara was honoured to accept the award, particularly as the Sussex business scene is thriving and there are a lot of leaders that Tamara admires and respects.
“Hard work and bloody mindedness does pay off but only if you have the support of family, friends and a fantastic team” commented Tamara on receipt of the outstanding award.
This follows on from a roll of recent fantastic achievements including Tamara being announced as the new International Wine & Spirit Competition president for 2020. The appointment is a respected honour and Tamara is excited to be taking on this new role, particularly as the first English producer to do so:
‘It is an incredible honour to be selected for such a leading role in the International Wine Industry, not only to represent Ridgeview but also to highlight the growth & aspirations of our exciting English Wine Industry. 25 years ago, my father started Ridgeview with the vision and ambition that England could produce sparkling wines to compete with the very best in the world, changing the course of the English Wine Industry forever. This is a perfect opportunity to celebrate his legacy and the sparkling future that lies ahead for our industry’.
Tamara joined her family business Ridgeview as General Manager in 2004 and became CEO in 2014. She has overseen the growth of production in that time from 25k bottles per annum to 400k bottles, as well as overseeing the conception and construction of a brand new winery and cellar, which will allow production to double from 2020. As well as devoting herself to Ridgeview, Tamara is very well respected throughout the English Wine Industry and sits on the board of Wines of Great Britain and the Wine & Spirit Trade Association.
Ridgeview will be celebrating their 25th Anniversary in 2020 and over this quarter of a century they have built their reputation as a one of England’s leading sparkling wine producers which was illuminated on this prestigious International Wine stage in 2018 when they were crowned ‘International Winemaker of the Year’ in 2019