Senay Ozdemir
Entrepreneurial journalist Senay Özdemir has a vast breadth of experience spanning different facets of the wine industry. After writing for multiple Dutch and international publications, she founded the women’s magazine SEN before moving to Austin to teach at University of Texas School of Journalism. When she couldn’t source wines from her native country of Turkey, she began importing wine, and then went on to found the wine marketing agency called House of Red & White to promote winemaker’s untold stories. She is also a TEDx speaker and the initiator of a documentary about non-told stories in the wine industry. From this, she pioneered with organizing the first international conference about women in wine in Europe, that took place in Rotterdam & Brussels. The second Women in Wine Expo will take place in Georgia (the country).
Wines from Sancerre have become her favorite white to drink all through out the year and uncorking a bottle of her own imported bottle of Urla Nexus gives her excitement when she’s craving a good red wine.
Alexandra Karahaliou
After finalizing Gymnasium in Budapest, Alexandra is now a third year International Business and Languages student at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. She combines her study with her work for House of Red & White as the event manager for the inaugural Women in Wine Expo. Coming from one of the only two European countries that has its own word for 'wine' (bor) that is not derived from Latin - she loves contributing to advancing women’s work in the wine industry.
Her favorite wines? Definitely the Béla and Bandi-chardonnay wines.
Monique Willemse
After her education at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy, Monique did a lot of design and restyling for various magazines. Now she has been working independently for years for a variety of clients in the arts and culture, sustainability and society. In addition, she also makes free work, not only digital or printed matter, but also with textiles or ceramics
"When Senay (whom I got to know by Mirjam) asked me if I wanted to design the logo for Women in Wine, I didn't doubt one second. A nice project because I like being able to contribute to increasing opportunities for women. The world of wine makers is very new to me and I find it very inspiring to hear the stories of female winemakers from Senay."
Any white wine is good for Monique, except for Chardonnay. She loves sitting outside the whole day, in the sun, in the nature, in the Netherlands or abroad. "I am very curious about the wines of the female winemakers and the story that goes with them. I feel like I know them already as I have been reading about them, work with their logos and their bottles and see them on pictures. Very excited to meet them in person on May 23rd in Rotterdam."
