Manuel Arcila
Director and General Manager

Manuel Arcila has worked within the sherry trade with Emilio Lustau S.A. for the past 34 years. As well as holding a very active role within the company Manuel is a practising lawyer, oenologist and a graduate from the Jerez Business School for which he now holds the position of Associate Professor.

During his student days, Manuel joined the company in 1965 on a part-time basis as an assistant to the then Managing Director, the late Rafael Balao, who tutored him in the different aspects of the business. In 1967, the company sent Manuel to the UK to become acquainted with the wine trade there and also to perfect his English.

Following his graduation in 1971, Manuel visited the USA for the first time to carry out a market research project and to establish Lustau as a brand in the US marketplace. In the following year, Manuel was appointed Assistant Managing Director and in 1992 became Emilio Lustau's Managing Director.

1990 saw another turn in Manuel's responsibilities. Emilio Lustau merged with the Luis Caballero Group of Companies and the Wine Division was established, for which Manuel has overall responsibility.

The job of a Managing Director is never dull. Manuel is also a member of the Board of the Consejo Regulador (the official regulatory body for sherry), where he represents the interests of the Emilio Lustau and Luis Caballero Group of Companies.

Manuel's philosophy of dedication to quality has given Lustau a prestigious reputation world-wide but his company strategy also includes innovation. These two messages, quality and innovation, are the synthesis of what Manuel considers to be the way forward in the wine trade for this millennium.