A life shaped by
wine, food & people.

An academic beginning

Henley has more than 20 years of experience in wine, gastronomy and professional hospitality. He read Politics, Philosophy and Economics at St. Antony College, Oxford University, achieving a first-class degree with honours.

He went on to an early career in financial and asset trading while simultaneously completing a Master of Arts in Business Ethics at Imperial College London. After a brief period in the City of London’s financial markets, and once his education loans were paid, a strong desire to explore hospitality, wine and culinary arts took hold. Circumstances led him to Burgundy, France.

Burgundy changed the direction

Henley’s passionate oenophile journey began in his mid-twenties, and the creative discovery changed everything for him. What followed was a sustained commitment to the practical and intellectual worlds of wine, food and service.

Twenty years later, having completed an Oenology Degree with first-class honours from Dijon University, he worked as a wine merchant and broker with Maison Joseph Drouhin in Beaune, one of Burgundy’s prestigious wine houses.

Wine alongside gastronomy

During his wine-brokering period, Henley completed with distinction a culinary course at Ferrandi Institute, Paris—described as the “Harvard of gastronomy” in the Henley story.

He then gained experience in a professional Michelin-starred kitchen in Charolles, France, under the then up-and-coming and now celebrity chef at Restaurant Frederick Ducet, in an elite sommelier position.

London, qualifications & Asia

After 15 years in France, Henley moved back to London and achieved WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) Level 2 and WSET Level 3, followed by the Level 4 Diploma, DipWSET—the highest WSET wine qualification.

WSET is a globally recognised and highly regarded professional wine-education pathway, taught and respected in traditional wine-producing countries, including Bordeaux. These studies form part of Henley’s personal professional experience; Henley is not presented as a WSET Approved Programme Provider.

He then took up a Head of Asia Business Development Wine Manager position at Berry Bros. & Rudd, the oldest wine merchant in the United Kingdom and one of the oldest in the world. There, he established stellar business relationships with high-end hotels and restaurants and produced sales implementations throughout ASEAN and East Asia.

The Henley enterprise

After succeeding in every position he had previously experienced, this path led Henley to bring his expertise into a new enterprise: the Henley Oenophile Hospitality Group and Brand.

Today, that experience informs the work of Henley Oenophile Events: wine education, thoughtful hospitality and occasions designed around people, food, conversation and discovery.