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OFFICERS

Brandon Hughes, Co-President	brandon_hughes@mba.berkeley.edu
Alex White, Co-President	alex_white@mba.berkeley.edu
Kent Newman, VP-Marketing	kent_newman@mba.berkeley.edu
Sean Simplicio, VP- Education	sean_simplicio@mba.berkeley.edu
Cindy Chen, VP- Finance	cindy_chen@mba.berkeley.edu
Vineet Tanwar, VP-Technology	vineet_tanwar@mba.berkeley.edu

A brief intro of the officials and their experiences

Brandon Hughes              Co-President
Brandon is a Midwest transplant, moving to Berkeley for school after growing tired of having four distinct “seasons” in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Overall, he has seven years of experience in corporate finance.  Most recently, he worked for the Sunny Delight Beverages Company, where he focused primarily on M&A and new product development.  In returning to Haas, he is looking to transition into Management Consulting, then pursue either a start-up or private-equity route.  Yes, he is aware that those are distinctly different career treks.  While he has always been a fan of the vino, his interest in wine has increased dramatically since moving to NorCal.  With his days peddling orange sugar-water behind him, he tends to prefer Zinfandels, Malbecs and most any Spanish red.  Brandon is also an avid musician, cyclist and runner.  

Alex White         Co-President
Alex, formerly an experienced manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Los Angeles Advisory practice, came to Haas after seven years of experience in the areas of auditing (both internal and external) and fraud and misconduct consulting, primarily supporting healthcare payers.  Living in Atlanta at the time, his love for wine really began upon his first visit to California.  After moving to California, frequent trips to the Santa Ynez Valley to Napa Valley only served to heighten his passion for wine.  Having explored wines from across the world, his favorites include Cabernet, Malbec and Syrah.  During Haas’ winter break, he participated in the three-day Cakebread University in Rutherford, CA.  Alex is a frequent visitor to local vineyards in Napa and Sonoma County and particularly enjoys wine from the Stags Leap District in Napa.  When he is not drinking wine, he is also an avid scuba diver.

Cindy Chen                         VP-Finance
Cindy is a international jetsetter, having lived on five different countries on three different continents before the age of 25! Prior to coming to Haas, Cindy worked for an electronics manufacturer in China, consulted on adidas’ footwear supply chain, and then settled down in the states as a management consultant.  Her love for wine began while living in the Chianti region of Italy for several months, but lack of incoming funds restricted her enjoyment to 5-10 euro bottles of table wine.  Since then, Cindy has continued to explore the spectrum of wine, settling upon Spanish reds (Tempranillo, Syrah), Cabernets, and Pinot Gris as her favorites.  She is a frequent visitor to local vineyards and particularly enjoys the rustic setting of the Willamette Valley in Oregon and Sonoma in California.

Kent Newman                   VP-Marketing
Prior to coming to Haas, Kent was working for a marketing consulting firm in Boulder, CO doing primarily brand strategy and new product development projects. His clients included many large food and beverage companies like PepsiCo, Kellogg’s, Quaker, ConAgra, and Abbott Nutrition. His interest in wine started when he was living and studying in La Rioja, Spain. While studying at Universidad de La Rioja in Logrono, he took a few classes with the Enology School primarily focused on food and wine pairings. As the only foreign and none-Enology student, he was able to ask lots of stupid questions and learn loads. Upon his return to Middlebury College for his senior year, he was a proud member of a weekly wine club that partnered with a local wine shop to step up tastings and other activities. Since graduating college, he has continued his interest in wine by attending wine events in Colorado and visiting Napa and Sonoma.

Sean Simplicio                  VP- Education
Sean comes to Haas after working for several years in the public broadcasting industry in production, operations, and management.  While he grew up in the Bay Area, his introduction to wine didn’t come until he lived in Washington, DC, smack dab between the two best wine shops in the city (Calvert Woodley and Cleveland Park Liquors, in case you’re ever in the neighborhood).  His interest was fueled by frequent trips into Virginia’s wine country, which have since been upgraded to frequent trips to Napa and Sonoma since moving to Berkeley last year.  Since coming to Haas, Sean has participated in several wine club activities, the Wine Speakers Series course, and the three-day Cakebread University over winter break.  Sean and his wife are proud members of Trefethen Family Vineyards in Napa, Jessup Cellars in Yountville, and the Stephen & Walker Trust Winery in Healdsburg.

Vineet Tanwar                  VP Technology and Communications
Vineet grew up in India and trained to become a mechanical engineer. Unaccustomed to the pleasures of wine, he started his journey through the exciting world of wine tasting at Haas, and followed it up religiously (well, almost) with frequent visits to the wine country. In his professional career, he has worked in sales and product management across automotive, retail banking and online gaming industries and has extensive experience in managing corporate relationships and building distribution channels. He is an active volunteer with Child in Need Institute and has raised funds for them by participating in Marathons. Vineet is also an avid quizzer, and enjoys listening to Indian classical music in his free time.