Indigo Wine on apprenticeships, leadership and advancing safety and inclusion in the drinks industry

The Indigo Wine team coming together — building an inclusive, supportive culture through everyday connection and shared experiences.

Real progress on safety and inclusion in the drinks industry happens when organisations move beyond intent and into action. Through our Drinks United partner features, we spotlight how leaders across the sector are strengthening safeguarding, widening access and embedding equity into everyday practice.

In this feature, Regine Lee MW, Managing Director of Indigo Wine, shares how apprenticeships, leadership alignment and a people-first culture are helping to build a more inclusive and supportive wine trade.

“No matter how big your organisation is, the respect and responsibility you feel towards your colleagues are the key factors in creating a healthy work environment.”

What inspired your organisation to support Drinks United?

Indigo Wine has always had an ethos of giving back to the wider community and wine industry where we can. The appetite to be actively involved in improving the wine trade had already been well-established when I joined Indigo as Managing Director three years ago.

When I came into Indigo, I wanted to make sure diversity, equity and inclusion continued to have a strong focus for us as a company. I had started Women in Wine LDN in 2015 with fellow wine industry friends Sula Richardson and Hannah Van Susteren, back when there were fewer organisations focussing on underrepresented groups in wine. I saw the positive impact it had on people directly, and that further motivated me to continue this emphasis at Indigo.

With that in mind, supporting Drinks United was a clear way to be further involved, especially because it is spearheaded by the cornerstone organisations of the wine trade: the WSET, WSTA and Drinks Trust. These bodies give this work momentum, and the framework, to make a wider and lasting difference.

How is your organisation creating a safer, more inclusive, or supportive workplace?

In addition to our staff charity initiatives, Indigo have been directly involved in apprenticeship schemes with local schools. The aim of this is to widen the awareness of the drinks industry to young people from diverse backgrounds, and to give them exposure to areas such as marketing, sales, operations, finance and buying, which they can use further along in their careers.

We’ve codified DEI principles in our staff handbook and code of conduct, and have had trainings on preventing sexual harassment and discrimination. But equally important is that we all foster this culture on a day-to-day basis.

We are a small team (there are 9 of us), so each of us feel strongly about making sure everyone feels safe and supported at work. But I would say no matter how big your organisation is, the respect and responsibility you feel towards your colleagues are the key factors in creating a healthy work environment.

“Once you remove yourself from your own life experience and understand that what you take for granted is not a default, you can start seeing the world through different eyes.”

What’s been your most meaningful DEI initiative or learning in the past year?

Drinks United put on a fantastic Leadership Summit last November. It brought together leaders across a wide range of companies and levels to discuss DEI and to broaden our understanding of it.

A key takeaway for me was learning how neurodiversity can be better supported in the workplace. Also, it was good to discuss ‘privilege’ in a broader way. It was interesting to talk about having ‘privileges’ like growing up in an English-speaking household, being able to physically get in/out of buildings without assistance, walking home by yourself at night without fear, etc. Once you remove yourself from your own life experience and understand that what you take for granted is not a default, you can start seeing the world through different eyes.

How are your leaders helping drive change around DEI and safeguarding?

Key to this is that leaders are on the same page about why these are important. Then it becomes easier for us to stay true to our principles through our actions. Every department at Indigo had time to work with and mentor our secondary school apprentice, for example. We also had sessions on bystander training, the new workplace non-harassment regulations, and had a helpful group discussion about what we learned. All this filters down to our everyday approach to working with our colleagues, customers and peers.

What advice would you give to another organisation starting their DEI journey?

Try to get people to understand and buy into why DEI is important, and how it’s key to a sustainable wine industry.

What’s next for your organisation on its DEI journey?

We aim to keep being actively involved in DEI initiatives – both internally and with other organisations such as Drinks United, Women in Wine LDN and Curious Vines, and many others.

Indigo Wine’s approach demonstrates that advancing safety and inclusion in the drinks industry is not about size—it is about intent, leadership and everyday action.

From widening access through apprenticeships to embedding respectful workplace practices, their example shows how organisations of all sizes can contribute to a stronger, more sustainable wine trade.

If your organisation is ready to help raise standards and build a safer, more inclusive drinks industry, we invite you to join the growing community of partners working together through Drinks United.

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Regine Lee MW

Managing Director, Indigo Wine

Regine is the Managing Director of UK-based wine importer/distributor, Indigo Wine. She previously worked at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust focussing on their Asia markets, and at Liberty Wines in several management roles.

She founded Women in Wine London in 2015, a trade networking group now 800-people strong. In 2018, she became a Master of Wine. She has been recognised as an IWSC/WSET Future 50 Award Winner and a nominee for WSET’s Outstanding Alumni Award. Regine is also a Freeman of the Vintners’ Company and a Trustee of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

Find out more about Indigo Wine: https://www.indigowine.com/

Instagram: @reginemlee @indigowine_uk