Not much of an academic, Taro took the obvious career path into the alcohol business. In 2005 he cut his teeth on the shop floor at one of the world’s oldest wine merchants, spending most of his time polishing glasses in the cellar and driving around London in the company van — Although he does vaguely recall sampling one or two half decent bottles along the way.

Some years later, armed with a palate heavily biased towards Guinness, Grand Cru Chablis and the great wines of Bordeaux, Taro was fortunately (but incorrectly) identified as Chinese by his new employer. He subsequently spent many enjoyable years trading fine wine in Hong Kong and beyond, before realisation dawned that he was in fact Japanese (and, perhaps less importantly, Welsh). After a brief stint in New Zealand, Taro settled back into London life, where he has continued to trade fine wine and spirits with his contacts around the globe, to great effect ever since.  

If not slaving away in the office, Taro spends most of his time at home attempting to keep his three young daughters under control. In no particular order - barbecuing, drinking, swimming, walking the dog and (watching) rugby all feature prominently in his spare time.