Wine and Spirits Recruitment Manchester — Nigel Wright Group

---

Wine and Spirits Recruitment in Manchester: Nigel Wright Group’s Track Record

Nigel Wright Group builds the leadership teams and specialist talent that wine and spirits businesses across Manchester and the North West need to shape their future. Our consumer sector team brings genuine local insight and a European network to every brief. Expertise you trust. Hiring people you value.

Why work with a specialist wine and spirits executive search firm in the North West?

Wine and spirits brands compete on heritage, distribution and margin. Every senior hire shapes how a portfolio reaches the trade and the shelf. Leaders in this market need sharp commercial judgement across on-trade, off-trade and export channels.

Our consultants focus on drinks and wider consumer categories every day. That focus lets them advise on each role, question the brief where it helps and assess every candidate for impact as well as experience. Clients gain stronger shortlists and make clearer decisions.

Wine and spirits roles we recruit

Our wine and spirits industry recruitment covers the functions that drive growth and transformation:

• Managing directors and general managers
• Commercial, sales and national account leaders for on-trade and off-trade
• Brand, marketing and consumer insight specialists
• Finance directors, financial controllers and commercial finance
• Supply chain, procurement and production leaders
• HR directors and people partners

Each role can be filled on a permanent or interim basis, as needs change.

Proof from the drinks sector: clients we have supported

Clients we have supported in wine and spirits include:

• Suntory Global Spirits, a global spirits business
• Accolade Wines, a major wine business
• Lanchester Wine Cellars, a wine importer and distributor
• J. Chandler & Company, distributor of Buckfast Tonic Wine
• Della Vite, a premium sparkling wine brand
• Thomson & Scott, a producer of alcohol-free sparkling wine
• DrinkWell, online wine shop and alcoholic beverage distributor
• Riverside Spirits, family-run craft business based in Cheshire

These briefs often call for leaders who can widen distribution, protect margin and guide teams through change.

How we run each assignment

Every assignment starts with a conversation about the business and its plans. Our search process then follows four steps:

1. Advise on the brief. Expert insight for wiser decisions on role scope, pay and timing.
2. Map the market. Consultants draw on consumer networks across the North and Europe to reach active and passive talent.
3. Assess for impact. Candidates are tested against the outcomes the role must deliver.
4. Support the first year. We stay close through onboarding and review progress after the hire.

Permanent and interim expertise for drinks businesses

Permanent appointments suit roles that will shape the leadership team for years. A new commercial director, finance director or managing director should be chosen with the long term in mind, so we take time to test cultural fit and future potential.

Interim professionals fit a different moment. They step in quickly to lead change, cover a critical gap or deliver a set programme, such as a route-to-market review, a systems upgrade or a cost project ahead of peak trading.

Many clients use both models together. An interim leader keeps the business moving while we run a permanent search, giving the incoming hire a stable team and a clear plan.

Why Manchester and North West drinks businesses choose Nigel Wright Group

Clients come to us for a single specialist hire through our wine and spirits recruitment agency team, or for a full executive search for a board role. Specialist recruitment connects you with talent others cannot reach. Whatever the need, our recruitment services rest on proven strengths:

• Europe’s number one consumer sector search firm, with deep drinks and FMCG networks
• Over 35 years of consumer sector knowledge
• 100% management-owned since a 2022 buyout, giving every consultant a stake in each assignment
• Local knowledge of Manchester and the North West, backed by a Northern office network and European reach

Frequently asked questions

Does Nigel Wright Group recruit for wine and spirits businesses in Manchester?
Yes. Our consumer sector team supports wine producers, spirits brands, importers and distributors across Manchester, the North West and the wider North.

Can you provide interim leaders in the drinks sector?
Yes. We place interim managers who can start quickly and lead change, alongside permanent executive search.

Manchester Office

Telephone: +44 (0)161 552 5027

Email: marketingdept@nigelwright.com

Address: The Lincoln, Lincoln Square, Brazennose Street, Manchester, M2 5AD