Shenzhen, China. On July 9th, 2021, we had our first official Investors Social for the Nine Rivers Distillery Project. While we have hosted many whisky themed events across China over the last few years, this was the first time we had a gathering of people from multiple cities come together in one place outside of […]
Read MoreShenzhen, China.
On July 9th, 2021, we had our first official Investors Social for the Nine Rivers Distillery Project. While we have hosted many whisky themed events across China over the last few years, this was the first time we had a gathering of people from multiple cities come together in one place outside of our normal WeChat based Investors group.
We took over the rooftop veranda of the Residence G Hotel in Futian, Shenzhen and hosted a night full of amazing food, good wine, whisky (of course) and a chance for everyone to meet some new faces and help to cement together the bond that brought us all together to create this project.
Each investor was given the opportunity to share through an interview what this project means to them on a personal level or what it means to them on a grander scale; how Nine Rivers can influence the growth of whisky culture in China. Each investor spoke their native language in the interview, underscoring the international camaraderie that many investors feel is a core part of the project. The output of this will be made into a video to highlight our project to a much broader global audience.
Everyone got an opportunity to see the packaging and glass design for our first series of releases – The Founders’ Casks – the first release of which will be before the end of 2021.
Additionally, blind whisky tastings and several rounds of trivia allowed opportunities for newer members of the whisky culture to learn from those more established. Everyone went home with better appreciation of whisky, a closer relationship with other investors, and memories of a delightful evening.
We’re all looking forward to the next Investors Social in Dongguan, later in 2021, before we take these events outside of Guangdong and across China. Xiamen, Shanghai and Wuhan are already on the list.
Longyan City, China. Nine Rivers Distillery appoints Hayden Zou to the role of General Manager and also to the Board of Directors. Hayden brings with him an extensive experience that includes a number of foreign owned and foreign invested startups at board level roles over the past 15 years. Simon Szewach – Nine Rivers Distillery […]
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Nine Rivers Distillery appoints Hayden Zou to the role of General Manager and also to the Board of Directors.
Hayden brings with him an extensive experience that includes a number of foreign owned and foreign invested startups at board level roles over the past 15 years.
“Hayden was a solid choice for us because he has the perfect pedigree – foreign owned start up within the China legal framework. Bringing two quite different business cultures together in perfect harmony to make things work.
Being able to facilitate the expectations of foreign business stakeholders while ensuring compliance with the rules and regulations of the China business framework is a very special talent and we spent a long time finding the perfect person for this role. The board and I believe we have made the right choice in appointing Hayden to our team.”
“My introduction to Nine Rivers Distillery was a coincidence – I actually worked for one of the key investors in this project at two previous companies. I was taking a sabbatical at the time but the chance to work with familiar people on something new and exciting was interesting enough to me to learn more.
I met with a few of the board members and started to understand their vision for this project. It will be a massive challenge for all of us, but I believe that challenges are what bring out the strengths in both individuals and in teams that work together.”
Longyan City, China. Nine Rivers Distillery appoints Stephen Davies to the role of Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Stephen Davies brings more than 30 years of commercial experience to Nine Rivers Distillery, with more than 2 decades spent working at director level and board level positions including 15 years as the […]
Read MoreLongyan City, China.
Nine Rivers Distillery appoints Stephen Davies to the role of Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Stephen Davies brings more than 30 years of commercial experience to Nine Rivers Distillery, with more than 2 decades spent working at director level and board level positions including 15 years as the Chief Executive at Penderyn Distillery (The Welsh Whisky Company) where he was responsible for putting Wales firmly on the international Whisky Map.
“Stephen was the first and only logical consideration to lead this project. He was the first person outside of our original whisky night conversations that we spoke to, to understand the feasibility of ever making this project happen. He had the patience and the professionalism to make us aware of all the challenges we faced before we made a firm decision to make this project happen.
Stephen has already gone through all the challenges that we face, and more importantly, delivers some amazing single malt whiskies with his team over at Penderyn. Under his guidance and leadership, we have every confidence that we can achieve amazing things here in China.”
“Jay introduced me to the idea of appointing Stephen Davies in one of the most original “job interviews” that I’ve ever taken part in. Jay poured me a whisky, handed me the bottle and simply said “this is the man that leads the team that makes this”. It was Penderyn Madeira Cask single malt whisky.
That’s when I knew we had the perfect person to lead us. Talking to him online and appreciating his depth and breadth of real experience and understanding all the challenges he and his team have gone through, simply reinforced that.”
Longyan City, China Nine Rivers Distillery appoints Jeff Olyniec as a Board Director for the Nine Rivers Distillery Project, bringing with him more than 2 decades of experience building successful businesses in China. Jeff currently holds board positions are 10 different companies with 8 of them based in China. Jay Robertson – CEO “Jeff Olyniec […]
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Nine Rivers Distillery appoints Jeff Olyniec as a Board Director for the Nine Rivers Distillery Project, bringing with him more than 2 decades of experience building successful businesses in China.
Jeff currently holds board positions are 10 different companies with 8 of them based in China.
“Jeff Olyniec brings the wealth of knowledge needed to build and grow a corporation – but, with all of the unique challenges of building corporations in China. As one of the fastest growing and most exciting business environments in the world, China has a massive learning curve for even the most experienced corporate professionals to get over. Jeff brings all that to us in his 20 years of experience in China.“