Candice Chan
Director of Procurement at Kerry Wines
Candice Chan’s post as Director of Procurement at influential wine company Kerry Wines directly decides what wines will be served at some of the most swanky hotels and restaurants in Hong Kong and mainland China, influencing hundreds and thousands of consumer palates.
Established in 2010, Kerry Wines is a major fine wine importer and distributor operating in Greater China including Hong Kong and Shanghai. Owned by The Kuok Group, owner of Shangri-la Hotels, it is a leader in properties, logistics, hospitality, and food across Asia.
Chan has over three decades of experience working in some of the city’s biggest and most iconic wine companies.
She got her start in wine working for one of the pioneering wine companies, Topsy Trading, in 1989 after graduation. The company was credited as being the first company to import fine Bordeaux wines to China and for 10 years, Chan learned the ropes from the best, helping the company build its Bordeaux portfolio.
From there, Chan moved to Jardine Caldbeck Hong Kong and in 2003 landed in Watson’s Wine, the city’s biggest wine retailer owned by billionaire Li Ka-shing. Serving as Senior Buying Manager at Watson’s Wine, Chan worked at the company for eight years, trotting the globe to scout wines to fill Watson’s wine shelves.
Eventually in 2012, Chan joined Kerry Wines. As Fine Wine Procurement Director of Kerry, Chan is responsible for the company’s global fine wine sourcing to build up brand portfolio for both Hong Kong and China.
I must commend Debra for setting up WineSpit which helped educate the wine industry in Hong Kong, she gives back to the Industry selflessly time and time again.