Philippe Kalmbach
Founder and Portfolio Manager
CEO of Wine Source, an active merchant on Liv-ex, Philippe is the founder of one of the first pan-European wine sourcing network supporting 5-star hotels and restaurants in Europe and Asia, as well as high end wine collectors worldwide. Philippe holds a Masters Degree in Business from ESC Amiens, as well as Executive Education at INSEAD and Cranfield University. Formerly, Philippe was group EVP Polaroid, European Head Digital Business Kodak, GM Lexmark and Investment banking analyst. Philippe holds a US Wine Professional degree from WSS where he graduated with honors.
Benjamin Billarant
Portfolio Manager
Founder and Director of Balthazar Capital Partners Ltd., an FCA-regulated investment manager, Benjamin has over 15 years of experience in financial markets and alternative investments. Prior to Balthazar Capital, Benjamin has worked for institutions including Goldman Sachs in London, Banque de Neuflize in Paris (part of ABN-Amro) and Société Générale in New York. In the process, he has structured, advised and managed several investment funds giving him a solid experience in the fields of portfolio management, risk management, compliance and regulatory issues. He holds a bachelors degree in Physics which he obtained from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1994.
Matthieu Panthala
Strategic Advisor
Matthieu Phanthala is the CEO of Leroy Merlin (Group ADEO) since 2005, with the entire responsibility for the group’s business development and strategy in China. Prior to Leroy Merlin, Matthieu worked for Lafarge and The Swatch Group at senior Management positions around Finance and Business Development in China/Hong Kong. Matthieu’s main areas of expertise are corporate finance, mass retailing and luxury products focus on Asian and in particular, Chinese markets. He holds Master Degree in Business from the Ecole Superieure de Commerce d‘Amiens, France.
Axel Jahu
IC Advisor – Bordeaux Expert
Axel has graduated from INSEEC Bordeaux with a double Masters degree and started his career working at the Bureau de Courtage François Lévêque in Bordeaux . He has worked on Bordeaux procurement at Wine Source Group as responsible for sourcing. Axel has deep wine expertise and intense network in the world of fine wine.