Rob McMillan is one of the top wine business analysts in the United States and the author of Silicon Valley Bank’s highly regarded annual State of the Wine Industry Report. With decades of experience researching the wine business, his views are sought after and trusted by winery owners, journalists, entrepreneurs, and investors. He is a prominent speaker, domestically and internationally, and he is extensively quoted in national, regional, and trade press. He has also been named several times as one of the Top 50 Most Influential People in the US wine industry.

 
Rob’s banking career has spanned 35-plus years — more than 25 with Silicon Valley Bank. In that time, he has held positions of increasing responsibility, including division manager of the Wine Group, executive manager of the bank’s Commercial Division and several years as a member of Silicon Valley Bank’s Managing Committee. He is currently responsible for establishing new winery relationships and offers private management presentations and strategic consulting to the bank’s clients across the portfolio.

Rob received a bachelor’s degree in finance/economics from Sacramento State University and an MBA from Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business. He has served on boards in diverse industries and continues to be an advisor to wineries and industry associations across the wine business.

Rob is a father of five. He enjoys the outdoors, travel and golf and takes any opportunity to play percussion and drums in live settings.

Kaleigh has 9 years of NIQ experience and considerable background working with clients in multiple categories.  She has been involved with the Beverage Alcohol category for the last five years working on Thought Leadership, industry insights, and client specific business questions and projects.  Kaleigh brings a unique skillset of analytic capabilities, as well as commercial selling story creation, and has significant background in bringing consumer insights to the forefront in support of sales trends.  She has been pivotal in the NIQ strategy and tactics for Beverage Alcohol as the industry changes and develops.

Alison Smith Story is the co-founder and driving force behind Smith Story Wine Cellars, a Sonoma & Anderson Valley based boutique winery founded in 2014 alongside her husband, Eric Story. With a career spanning over two decades in the wine industry, Alison’s expertise lies in branding, marketing, sales, data analytics, writing and forging meaningful connections between Smith Story Wines and wine consumers. Her entrepreneurial spirit and unwavering commitment to authenticity have propelled Smith Story into the spotlight, earning critical acclaim and with an extremely loyal following. From their “Farmers First” philosophy to creating one of the first crowdfunded wineries in the U.S., Alison has built a brand rooted in humanizing wines based on integrity, sustainability, and storytelling.

Beyond the winery, Alison is board member for the Family Winemakers of California, a dynamic leader and advocate for family and independent small wine producers navigating the evolving challenges of the industry. Whether managing a winery through wildfires, the pandemic, or personal health battles, her resilience and ingenuity have inspired many. She is also deeply passionate about giving back through initiatives like her carbonic wine “BRAVE” created while battling breast cancer to honor other warriors to “Socks for Sandwich”, a nonprofit born from their winery’s beloved mascot, Lord Sandwich the Doodle. As a panelist for the Silicon Valley Bank State of the Wine Industry, Alison brings a wealth of insight into consumer trends, innovation, and the realities of building a modern wine business from the ground up.

Peter Yeung (pronounced “young”) is a leading wine business consultant, developing business strategy and innovative marketing plans for the wine industry.  He is the author of the book Luxury Wine Marketing and the host of the XChateau podcast.  He previously helped run wineries Kosta Browne Winery, CIRQ Estate, and Realm Cellars.  Peter has passed the Master of Wine Stage 2 Theory exam, holds the WSET Diploma, and the CIA’s Certified Wine Professional designations.  Prior to wine, Peter was an executive at a clean technology company in Silicon Valley and was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company.