Our Team
Gemma de Jesus
Head of Whisky.Auction
A qualified engineer specialising in environmental engineering, Gemma combines her love for numbers and process with a passion for whisky, wine and spirits which originally stemmed from growing up around her family vineyard in Bierzo, Spain.
Having studied chemical engineering in Salamanca and Milan and worked in Paris, Gemma settled in London where she turned her hand to the world of fine wine and whisky. Following stints at Oddbins and Jeroboams, Gemma joined the team at famed drinks boutique Hedonism where she worked as logistics administrator. She joined Whisky.Auction in 2017, working on all aspects of the auction from listing and authentication to process management, before progressing to Head of Auction in December 2022.
Gemma is passionate about New World wine, especially from California, although her heart will always be in the vineyards of Spain. Her passion for whisky developed through a love of the smoky flavours of peated Scotch, while her cocktail of choice will always be a vodka martini, Grey Goose, dry with a twist.
Scott Walker
Head of Valuations
Scott grew up in Perthshire and has worked in the drinks industry since his student days. He studied both music and media management, in which he gained his MSC. Working for a number of independent wine and spirits specialists including Oddbins and an auction house in Glasgow he developed his interests and expertise in wines and spirits further. Scott continues to play the trumpet professionally in touring bands around the world, as well as on radio and television. A keen traveller, he has also completed two vintages as a cellar hand in France’s Northern Rhône. Scott joined the team in 2019.
Naina Rawat
Logistics Administrator
Naina graduated in media communications before studying for an MSc in Marketing. Her passion for communication is what led her to pursue a career in customer service, leading her to join the Whisky.Auction team in 2023. After proving her impressive organisational skills, Naina made the move to logistics administrator for the team in 2024. She loves going for long walks in nature and keeping fit. In her spare time you can usually find her alone in a corner somewhere reading a book. Naina’s drink of choice is rum.
Peter Wilcockson
Whisky Specialist
Peter grew up in Wimbledon, London and studied sports science at university but he developed his great passion for whisky while he worked at Royal Mile Whiskies in London for five years. He particularly loves whiskies from Islay and Campbeltown, specifically Lagavulin, Ardbeg, Caol Ila and Springbank. He also likes Foursquare rum from Barbados. Peter joined Whisky.Auction in 2021 to develop his specialist interest in old, rare and vintage spirits. Peter enjoys playing Dungeons and Dragons and also loves working out regularly saying that ‘lifting heavy things and putting them down is my favourite pastime’.
Tobias Davies
Cataloguer
A true local to the Whisky Exchange offices, Tobias was born and bred in Ealing. He initially joined The Whisky Exchange to drive our fleet of delivery vans, before his interest in the huge variety of bottles coming into the auction warehouse everyday brought him to the Whisky.Auction team as a cataloguer. Tobias has a passion for football and F1, and would usually consider himself a beer drinker. However, since recently passing his Wine WSET he is building a love of interesting wines from unusual grape varieties.
Emily Webster
Marketing & PR Manager
Emily graduated with a medieval and early modern history degree and embarked on a career in food and drink PR. She built on an interest in whisky, wine and spirits working with the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC), Wines of Germany various drinks brands from Pinkster Pink Gin to Champagne Laurent Perrier. In her spare time Emily is gradually curating her own library of favourite drinks books, she spends a lot of time in excellent cocktail bars and enjoys a good history lecture or museum visit. She joined Whisky.Auction team in 2022 to combine her love of spirits and history in her dream job.
Sebastian Pietris
Product Photographer & Team Lead
Now a devotee of Islay whisky, Sebastian first fell in love with the world of alcoholic drinks when introduced to Palincă from Bihor county in his native Romania. Having studied Geography at university, he moved into logistics and began to work in the drinks industry when he moved to the UK. Sebastian now manages our showroom and is responsible for Whisky.Auction's photography.