WHO WE ARE
ROGER CHAN
FOUNDER
HONG KONG / KOREA
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Roger Chan was born in London, UK, and grew up in Hong Kong. After attending University in the US he moved to UK, London to begin his career. Roger started in the finance and consulting industry helping companies with strategy, market entry, and business development, primarily with a focus on Greater China. Roger left a global & regional position at Deloitte in 2008 to take over METAGROUP. During this time he has co-founded and is an investor in other entrepreneurial F&B and lifestyle ventures and concepts. Roger is currently the Chairman of METAGROUP, which has several businesses including METABEV, an international brand management & distribution company established in 1989 with offices in Hong Kong & Macau, Korea, China and Japan; Hindsight Creative, a creative digital marketing and e-commerce agency specializing in the beverage business (offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul); and Eclipse Beverages, an export advisory and business development company. He is the founder of the F&B RUN CLUB, an industry led charity initiative. Roger has over 16 years’ experience in the drinks business.
YOSHIHIKO SUGIMOTO
ADVISORY PARTNER
JAPAN
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Yoshihiko Sugimoto started his career as a copywriter and ran as a Creative Director for a leading Japanese agency for over 13 years. Amongst others, this included branding and direction of the most famous whisky, sake and beer in Japan. Sugimoto is currently the President of Sugiken, founded in 1972, which provides consulting services including marketing and business strategy planning. Sugiken’s purpose is to give creative direction and guidance on product development for export and Duty Free. In 2018, Sugimoto started working with METABEV to curate, connect and build a Japanese craft spirits collection to represent across Asia. In 2019 and 2020 Sugimoto was proudly nominated by a Japanese external trade and PR organization belonging to the Japanese Government for promotional strategies for Sake in Hong Kong and China. Sugimoto has extensive experience and networks across Asia Pacific, particularly in Japan and China. Furthermore, he is a license holder of both exporting and selling alcoholic beverages in Japan.
GEORGE MAXWELL
ADVISORY PARTNER
UNITED KINGDOM
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George Maxwell was brought up and educated in the UK having been born into one of the UK’s oldest distilling families. Following qualifying as an accountant in 2007, George returned to the distilling fold working in Business Strategy and Development for William Grant & Sons. Having worked on the successful deals to acquire Tullamore Dew, Hudson Baby Bourbon, and Milagro Tequila George moved to Shanghai to become Head of Strategy for Asia Pacific for WG&S working on route to market solutions, commercial excellence and executive support. Following a spell as Marketing Director for WG&S Korea George joined Proximo spirits to head up its North Asian business in 2016, based out of Hong Kong. This encompassed management of all aspects of the business from Operations through to commercial and marketing delivery in the largest 3rd party region outside the Americas. George returned to Thames Distillers, his family distillery in London at the end of 2020, where he is working on the development of new gins and low and no alcohol products. George joined Eclipse Beverages as an Advisory Partner in 2021.
CARL PLINSTON
ADVISORY PARTNER
UNITED KINGDOM
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Carl Plinston grew up and studied in the UK. He started his career in the soft drinks market working for SHS Drinks as part of a new sales team launching Bottlegreen tonic water into the competitive UK On-trade market. After this initial grounding in the UK F&B industry Carl made a strategic move into the premium spirits market joining William Grant & Sons, managing a varied account base of influential cocktail bars, restaurants and leading group operators in London. Prior to relocation to Asia, Carl joined Asahi UK, taking on an increased responsibility through management of national hotel chains. Carl made the decision to move to Hong Kong in 2018 with the aim of experiencing a new culture and exciting market as a part of the METABEV sales function. Utilizing and adapting his experience gained in the UK Carl quickly progressed to Sales Strategy Director managing the team along with core principal relationships. Carl has since now relocated back to UK, founding a field-based sales agency, whilst still acting as an advisory partner for Eclipse Beverages.
ANNE FITAN
SENIOR BRAND MANAGER
HONG KONG
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Anne Fitan grew up in France. She holds a Master’s degree in Business & Management from EDHEC Business School, during which she had the opportunity to immerse herself in the APAC region through an academic exchange in Bangkok. Passionate about the F&B industry, she began her career in France, gaining experience in sales, category, and brand management at FMCG and retail companies including Carrefour, Henkel, and Nestlé. Six years ago, Anne moved to Hong Kong to lead product development for a licensed and private label toy company, working with international key accounts like Amazon, Lidl, Aldi, and Walmart. In 2021, she joined METABEV as commercial brand manager, leading the 2022 Perrier relaunch that won two global best distributor awards. Since late 2023, Anne has been the activation manager for Perrier, Vittel, and Contrex at Eclipse Beverages, collaborating with Nestlé Waters to coordinate activations, train, and advise distributors to drive growth and enhance brand equity.
SHEILA CLAVECILLAS
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
PHILIPPINES
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Sheila Clavecillas is a hospitality and beverage industry professional with experience in luxury hospitality operations, trade marketing, and brand development across Asia-Pacific. Sheila holds a Bachelor of Science in Tourism and pursued Business Administration at Donghua University in Shanghai, China. She began her career in the spirits industry with Brinkman Beverages in Shanghai, supporting sales growth and market expansion. She later transitioned into luxury hospitality as Bar Supervisor at InterContinental Shanghai NECC, where she handled VIP delegates from government institutions and multinational companies attending world exhibition conferences and major international events hosted at the hotel. She later returned to the spirits industry as Regional Trade Marketing Manager for Tito's Handmade Vodka, working with importers across Asia, and subsequently served as Area Manager APAC & Oceania at Excelsium Asia, developing regional trade partnerships and expanding market presence.
AMANDA LAM
BRAND MANAGER
HONG KONG
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Amanda Lam was born and raised in Hong Kong. She moved to Palo Alto for her Bachelor’s degree and then pursued her Master’s degree in Oestrich-Winkel, Germany. While living in Germany, Amanda worked as Junior Commercial Manager for Eckes-Granini, the leading supplier of fruit juices and fruit beverages in Europe. After living seven years abroad, Amanda joined METABEV in a Business Development role, providing business development support and contributing to strategic business development initiatives that helped expand the company’s market presence. She then moved to Eclipse Beverages as a brand manager, where she plays a key role in shaping brand strategy and executing brand activation campaigns to enhance customer engagement and brand visibility.