PORTRAITS
SYLVIE CAZES
After studying English language and civilisation, and obtaining a degree from the Institute of Business Administration, Sylvie Cazes first headed off to teach abroad, in Ireland, then in various institutions in France. During this first career over some ten years, she developed a great sense for listening and a real ability to share that would prove valuable for the future.
In 1989, drawn by the world of wine, she worked together with her brother Jean-Michel in the Châteaux & Associés organisation, which then combined the properties of Axa-Millésimes and those of the Cazes family. Initially responsible for the external relations of this great new wine group, she quickly became the Director of Communications.
Recognising the importance of a relationship of trust that every vineyard must forge with the consumers and the need to immerse them into the world of fine wine, she implemented an innovative policy concerning reception, organising tastings and wine tours. At the same time, she started handling the development of Bordeaux-Saveurs, a division that brings the family activities of tourism, hospitality and catering together under one roof.
President of the Board of Directors of the family group since 2007, her journey doesn’t end there... Devoted to raising the profile of Bordeaux wines and promoting wine tourism, Sylvie Cazes is also director of the "Conseil des Grands Crus Classés en 1855" and she has been elected president of the "Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux" in 2008 after having been a number of years on the board.
Also recently, Sylvie Cazes has been elected member of the Bordeaux City Council, with a mandate to promote economic development through the wine sector.
She considers these functions as complementary to her earlier career and focuses on promoting wine both locally and internationally as the fruit of French heritage and culture.