Monica Samuels is the vice president of sake and spirits for Vine Connections. Named as one of the ‘Top 40 Under 40’ by Wine Enthusiast magazine, she has been in the sake business for over 15 years on both the hospitality side and as Southern Wine & Spirits’ Sake Ambassador, which was before joining the Vine Connections team to oversee the strategy, marketing, sales, and education of the Japanese sake and spirits portfolio. She is a skilled educator, making her passion and knowledge for complicated subjects approachable and understandable. Featured in publications like Business Insider, Eater, and Fortune, Monica specialises in introducing sake programmes in non-Japanese restaurants and recommending some truly outstanding non-traditional sake pairings to everyone she meets.

Tracey Delaney's professional career was as a seasoned global brand and customer experience leader working with leading financial services brands globally with a specialism in Japan. In 2017, she wanted to pursue her curiosity about sake. She qualified as a sake sommelier ('kikisake-shi') with the Sake Service Institute and subsequently as a certified sake professional with John Gartner. Tracey then joined the Sparkling Sake Brewery in the UK as a founding member and has been helping to drive the brand and business since 2020. In addition to sake, Delaney is now working on raising capital for initiatives in the drinks and hospitality industry.

Kylie Clark is a Japan specialist consultant and a certified sake sommelier. Fluent in Japanese, she previously served as a director of Japan House London, head of PR and marketing for Japan National Tourism Organization, and head of experiences at Pantechnicon. Now, Clark works as a freelance advisor on Japanese tourism, food and drink, experiential marketing, brand storytelling, product development and launching, and sourcing unique tableware and ingredients from Japan for bars and restaurants. She also curates, produces, and hosts Japan-related events, including guest chefs and mixologists.

Jelou Galang is a freelance journalist who loves dissecting culture, media consumption, the internet, and how these form our identity and community-building. She is an Organisational Communication graduate from the University of the Philippines and the former associate editor and brand engagement lead of SCOUT, a Manila-based youth culture publication. Her other works have appeared in PhilStar Life, Inquirer USA and Canada, Nolisoli, Preen, Inquirer Sports, Lifestyle Inquirer, Candy, PURVEYR, and DG Traveler, among others. Her fandoms include those of Asian cinema, matcha, The Sims, punk rock, Notes app poetry, and her dog Maximize. When she’s not having a love-hate relationship with writing, you can catch her running to seek Strava’s validation or making mini-documentaries.