The Team
Nicola Arcedeckne-Butler MW, Director of Buying
T: 01353 721 999
M: 07889 598 577
E: nicola@privatecellar.co.uk
Living in Italy as part of her University degree, Nicola soon found out that there were loads of delicious wines which never made it to our shores; strangely the university refused to allow a thesis on Trentino wines in art and opera. A brief stint at Majestic was followed by a career at Corney & Barrow starting as a sales assistant, helping set up the then fledgling broking department and ultimately becoming the buyer, giving her unparalleled access to some of the finest wines in the world. She passed the prestigious Master of Wine exam in 1996, collecting the Villa Maria Viticulture Award for the best viticulture paper; for ten years she was both an examiner and chair of one of the notorious MW exam theory papers. She is fluent in French and Italian and travels extensively in both hemispheres visiting our growers and seeking out new wines to introduce to our customers.
Laura Taylor, Director
T: 01353 721 999
M: 07702 905 137
E: laura@privatecellar.co.uk
Laura advises her customers on our Private Cellar core selection as well as guiding collectors as they build diverse cellars for drinking now and in the future. Currently studying for the Master of Wine qualification, she loves nothing more than visiting wine regions and cellars and, keen to share her love of wine and the stories from the vineyards, she runs our Women in Wine programme and hosts masterclasses and tutored tastings for both corporate and private customers. Laura also heads up our marketing team, curating online and print content. She started her career in Argentina with Bodegas Trapiche in 1994 and, back in the UK, she joined Avery’s of Bristol before moving to Corney & Barrow where she spent seven years. Joining Andrew and Nicola to establish Private Cellar in 2005 was the start of another brilliant wine adventure.
“I am so appreciative of how many great wines you have introduced me to…it’s such a fun hobby.” AD
James Naylor, Director
T: 01353 721 999
M: 07920 096 707
E: james@privatecellar.co.uk
James has worked in the wine trade since 1984 when he joined Lay & Wheeler. Three years later he moved to London selling wine to restaurants before taking a gap year to travel the world. He then joined Harvey Nichols for a year before being approached by Corney & Barrow where he worked for 12 years as a wine broker. James joined the Private Cellar team six months after the company was launched and he manages our Fine Wine List as well as looking after private and trade customers in the UK and overseas.
Charlie Stanley-Evans, Director
T: 01353 721 999
M: 07949 088 292
E: charlie@privatecellar.co.uk
Charlie was delighted to join Private Cellar in 2016 and strives to convince the world that there is no other wine merchant worth considering. The wine trade was not his chosen career path, but over three decades on from his first bottle sold he feels very grateful to have been tolerated by so many for so long. Always involved in selling, Charlie started at Oddbins, and jobs at Justerini & Brooks and Harvey Nichols followed. After six years at Lea & Sandeman, he spent a year in Africa, bringing in the new millennium on the shore of Lake Malawi. Next a move to Gloucestershire and the beginning of sixteen years with Haynes Hanson & Clark, the last five years as sales director. Charlie rarely sits still and spends his time looking after the wine requirements of private and corporate customers across the country.
David McLaren, Non-Executive Director
David specialised in military history and war studies at University before going on as a post-graduate to the Courtauld for History of Art and Architecture. Originally a BBC journalist, most of David’s career has been devoted to management of leading advertising and PR agencies interspersed with roles as a global marketing director and advisor to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. Most recently he was the CEO of the UK’s leading private sector cancer clinic. He has been a trustee, director or committee member of many charitable organisations including the National Trust, Maggies Centres, the Oxford Literary Festival and as Chairman of the Global Foundation to Eliminate Domestic Violence. His love of wine dates back to an epiphany at a university wine society meeting. A Sauternes fanatic.
Peter McCalmont, Sales
T: 01353 721 999
M: 07803 296 544
E: peter@privatecellar.co.uk
Private Cellar is based near Newmarket, the home of British horseracing and Peter brings wide and valuable wine trade experience to our team alongside extensive knowledge of the racing world. As often found at the Jockey Club Rooms as he is at Private Cellar HQ, Peter is our main point of contact for local business. He rarely sits still so if you are trying to catch him, we suggest trying Peter on his mobile before the land line.
Nick Clarke, Sales
T: 01353 721 999
M: 07710 541 876
E: nick@privatecellar.co.uk
Nick worked in the beer industry when he was younger, but as he got older he started drinking less and less beer and more and more wine, so decided he’d better look into a new career! In 2008 he took his wine exams before joining first Haynes Hanson & Clark, then Armit Wines and finally spent 5 years at Justerini & Brooks, before leaving in 2019 to take his family travelling for a blissful few months round Australia and New Zealand. He’s had the pleasure of tasting and selling wines from some of the great winemakers of our times over the years – Pinot Noir from Two Paddocks, Rhys, Rousseau and Liger-Belair (but unfortunately nowhere near enough Domaine Romanée-Conti), Bordeaux from Puy-Blanquet to Lafleur and Pétrus and other greats from around the world. He enjoys sourcing and selling wines to customers who will most appreciate them.
Alasdair Lawson-Dick, Sales
T: 01353 721 999
M: 07776 692 998
E: alasdair@privatecellar.co.uk
It was a school Wine Society guest speaker - wine merchant Roy Richards - who first encouraged Alasdair to pursue a career in the Wine Trade. And thereafter, tactfully arranged for him to spend an eventful year working at Bordeaux property Château La Bourgette, assisting owner Mon Bertrand Lalande with everything from mixing cement during construction of his enormous new swimming pool to endless hours in the vineyards pruning and harvesting. In 1986 Alasdair then found himself back in leafy Primrose Hill at newly launched Bibendum Wine. This is where he started to really learn about, and understand, great wine. Some years later Alasdair moved with his family to the Arabian Gulf to work in the Dubai wine trade, supplying the fast-growing hospitality sector and expat community. Twelve years later he returned to start working for wine importer Justerini & Brooks based in Edinburgh. Happily returning to Rutland he is thrilled to have joined the Private Cellar team. His favorite wines are red Bordeaux, with a particular soft spot for Margaux and Pomerol, red and white Burgundy and old Vintage Port.
Josh Morris Lowe, Sales
T: 01353 977 995
E: josh@privatecellar.co.uk
After finishing school, Josh joined Oddbins Wine Merchants for a gap year and developed an interest in wine, especially thanks to being able to jump in on some great tastings for Cambridge University College buyers. He went on to attend Trinity College, Dublin to read Classics. After University, polo took over and Josh has been a professional polo player and team manager for the last 20 years, playing everywhere from Argentina to Saudi Arabia and Jordan. He had been based primarily in Dubai but has roots in the Cambridge area. He has always loved wine and is very much looking forward to working with the Private Cellar team.
Mark Wilson, Sales
T: 01353 977 995
M: 07834128803
E: mark@privatecellar.co.uk
Mark is excited about returning to the wine trade after exploring opportunities in the fitness world for the past 5 years. Having accidentally stumbled into wine the first time round while looking for a ‘proper job’ after university, he was delighted when the opportunity arose to return to the fold with Private Cellar. Mark has a background in retail, sales and marketing garnered from working at Oddbins, where he passed his Diploma, and importers Hedley Wright, Ehrmanns and Thierry’s; he was subsequently appointed General Manager of De Bortoli UK, running the UK office of the family owned Australian winery. After more than 20 years in wine he re-qualified as a personal trainer with specialisation in Exercise Referral.
When not tasting his way through Private Cellar’s back catalogue and pestering his friends to buy better wine, Mark is often found pedalling two wheels on quiet roads around Wiltshire, Hampshire & Dorset.
Stiaan Albertyn, Marketing Assistant
T: 01353 721 999
E: stiaan@privatecellar.co.uk
After spotting an opening with Private Cellar and excited by the opportunity in the wine trade, Stiaan joined our marketing team in 2024. With 15+ years in internal sales experience looking after clients and their high-end bespoke kitchens, marketing felt like a natural progression, but going totally left field into the wine industry. Now, slowly but surely, Stiaan is building his wine knowledge, and what better way to do it than tasting his way through our list!
After finishing school in Cape Town, Stiaan had the opportunity to work and study in the UK which he took with both hands. 19 years later he’s never looked back and is well settled in Cambridgeshire with his wife and two children. Stiaan is based at our head office in Wicken.
Rebecca Preece-Spill, Assistant Buyer
T: 01353 721 999
E: rebecca@privatecellar.co.uk
Becca first stepped into the wine trade in 2021, following a poorly timed career hiatus immediately prior to a global pandemic. It transpired that those first socially distanced glasses of wine in mid-2020, and the informative conversations about them, would lead to a career change. While the country braced for the ‘second wave’, Becca buckled down to study WSET qualifications and has never looked back… A linguist at heart, having read French, Russian and rowing, Becca left St. Edmund Hall, Oxford with a coxing ‘Blue’, and a desire to defer reality further by completing a post-graduate degree in Medieval French at Oriel College. Via headhunting and luxury leather goods, today she considers herself very lucky to be able to combine her metaphorical thirst for knowledge with her tangible thirst for good wine, and call that ‘work’. Latterly, she is most grateful to The Oxford Wine Company for nurturing this passion, and for the friendships formed there. Looking forward, Becca feels utterly privileged to work alongside and learn from Nicola, as well as draw on the wealth of experience within the wider Private Cellar team.
Jessica Wilding, Accounts
T: 01353 721 999
E: jessica@privatecellar.co.uk
Joining the Private Cellar team in the summer of 2006, Jessica had started her career with Barclays Bank, giving her the perfect training and experience to deal with Private Cellar’s financial administration. Based at our Wicken office, Jess is also responsible for our logistics, shipping wines direct from our suppliers, day to day liaison with the warehouse and delivery arrangements to our customers.
Shaun Tobin, Stock & Fine Wine Controller
T: 01353 721 999
E: shaun@privatecellar.co.uk
Shaun joined our Administration Team in 2018, mainly responsible for stock control and order processing. In 2022 he took a career break to be a stay-at-home father to his son, which he dutifully describes as the “best job he’s ever had”. As life moved on, and his wine rack emptied, he could not resist the call of Private Cellar, so when the opportunity arose to return to the fold he jumped at the chance. His previous experience and great relationship with our warehouse team ensured his return in November 2024 as the newly-created Stock & Fine Wine Controller. Based in the Wicken office, Shaun works closely with the Sales Team and the warehouse to ensure our stock is up-to-date, as well as producing our treasure trove of a Fine Wine List every week.
Harry Myers, Logistics and Shipping
T: 01353 977 997
E: harry@privatecellar.co.uk
Harry joined our Wicken office to take over shipping and logistics for PC and MBM. He previously worked in logistics for a meat broker based in Liverpool, supplying food service businesses in the UK from European, South American and NZ/Aus suppliers. Harry studied at Newcastle Uni. Originally from Bolton, he moved to Cambridge in March 2023.
Andrew Gordon, Managing Director
T: 01353 721 999
M: 07795 973 371
E: andrew@privatecellar.co.uk
Andrew's first proper job was working in a small bar in the City of London in 1983. Loving the wine side but tiring of pulling pints he resigned to join retail chain Peter Dominic, then part of the Diageo group, and a year later its sister company Morgan Furze asked him to join with the remit of "wine sales outside the M25”. This was the start of a hugely fun time, mostly spent travelling the country in his very smart beige Ford Sierra. In 1986 he was asked to join venerable City wine merchant Corney & Barrow where he thrived, becoming their Director of Sales in 1991. After almost 19 years at C&B he left to begin his own wine merchant, Private Cellar in 2005. Andrew travels extensively, has customers scattered around the world and nothing gives him more pleasure than talking about and selling wine.