PRESS RELEASE
24.11.2023
Mr. Florent Morillon elected as president of the Cognac interprofession for the next three years
Mr. Christophe Veral elected vice-president.
A new permanent committee of 18 members also appointed today.
The two official representatives of the Viticulture and Trading families designated:
Mr. Anthony Brun and Mr. Hervé Bache-Gabrielsen
Mr Florent Morillon, BNIC president
©Artiste et Associé photographes
A new three-year mandate begins today at the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) with the renewal of all professional delegates and the election to the position of president of Mr. Florent Morillon, director of Viticultural Relations and Institutional Affairs of Maison Hennessy, and as vice-president Mr. Christophe Veral, outgoing president and wine distiller. A total of 18 members have been appointed to compose the new inter-professional standing committee and the two official representatives of the Viticulture and Trading families have been designated: Mr. Anthony Brun, winegrower and president of the UGVC, and Mr. Hervé Bache- Gabrielsen, director of the Cognac Bache-Gabrielsen House.
A NEW TEAM CHAIRED BY FLORENT MORILLON AT THE HEAD OF GOVERNANCE OF THE BNIC
Mr. Florent Morillon and Mr. Christophe Veral were elected today, Friday November 24, 2023, respectively president and vice-president of the BNIC. During a plenary meeting organized at the BNIC, the 18 members of the new BNIC standing committee were appointed as well as the two representatives of the Viticulture and Trading families: Mr. Anthony Brun for Viticulture and Mr. Hervé Bache-Gabrielsen for the Trading.
Mr. Florent Morillon succeeds as president to Mr. Christophe Veral who was elected vice-president.
The BNIC standing committee defines and controls the general policy, as well as the strategic orientations of the BNIC.
Following his election, Mr. Florent Morillon shared his vision of the sector: “A greener and more virtuous Cognac category, beneficial to the regional ecosystem. A resilient, attractive and ambitious sector for new generations, constantly conquering the world. »
For the vice-president, Mr. Christophe Veral: “It is an experienced president and team who are in place for the next three years. It is a pleasure and an honor for me to re-engage for three more years in the beautiful collective organization that is the Cognac interprofession.”
From left to right :
Foreground in the photo: Mr. Florent Morillon, Mr. Christophe Veral
Second plan in the photo: Mr. Raphaël Delpech, Mr. Anthony Brun, Mr. Hervé Bache-Gabrielsen, Mr. Eric Le Gall
©BNIC
BIOGRAPHIES
Mr. Florent Morillon, president of BNIC
Charentais, son and grandson of winegrowers, Mr. Florent Morillon, born in 1966 in Jarnac, spent his childhood in the vineyard then chose to continue his professional life in the wine industry.
A graduate of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Rural Law and Agricultural Economics, he also obtained a DESS in Law, Economics and Management of the wine industry, and a diploma in Strategic Business Management and Management from ESCP Europe.
After a stint at the Viticulture office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, he began his career at the National Interprofessional Wine Office (ONIVINS), then at the European Commission, at the DG Agriculture, Wines & Alcohols, to then return, within the decentralized services of ONIVINS. After this journey, the strong desire to return to his native region of Cognac materialized in a position at the DDAF of Charente, then as general director of the Chamber of Agriculture of Charente. In 2011, Mr. Florent Morillon joined Hennessy, first as Upstream Director and then as Director of Viticultural Relations and Institutional Affairs.
He is also a representative within the region’s professional bodies (BNIC, Organisme de Défense et de Gestion du Cognac, Syndicat des Maisons de Négoce, etc.), and representative of the Cognac region on the National Committee of the INAO and at FranceAgriMer.
M. Christophe Veral, vice-president of BNIC
Born in 1967 in Châtellerault, Mr. Christophe Veral settled in Charente in 1994 firstly out of love, then for the vines and Cognac. Initially trained at the Poitiers hotel school, he trained at the Rural Institute of Education and Orientation (IREO) in Cherves-Richemont (16) in viticulture and oenology between 1995 and 1996.
Mr. Christophe Veral is a wine grower, distiller and storer in the town of Sainte-Sévère in Charente.
President of the General Union of Winegrowers for the AOC Cognac (UGVC) between 2017 and 2020, a man engaged daily in collective defense, he devoted the first part of his career to the restaurant and hotel industry.
Under the previous mandate (2020-2023), he was president of the BNIC interprofession. Previously, between 2011 and 2020 he held the position of head of the Viticulture family, thus ensuring a strong link between the BNIC and the UGVC.
Since 2008, he has served on the BNIC standing committee. Mr. Christophe Veral is also a member of the INAO Regional Committee.
COMPOSITION OF THE BNIC STANDING COMMITTEE FOR THE 2023 – 2026 MANDATE
Trading family:
Florent Morillon – President of the BNIC
Hervé Bache-Gabrielsen – Official representative of the Trading family
Richard Costa-Savelli
Stanislas de Foucauld
Patricia Gaborieau – Vice-President of the ODG
Alexandre Gabriel – Deputy of the official representative of the Trading family
Philippe Jouhaud
Eric Le Gall – President of the Syndicat des Maisons de Cognac (SMC)
Patrick Leger
Viticulture family:
Christophe Veral – Vice-President of the BNIC
Anthony Brun – Official representative of the Viticulture family – President of the General Union of Winegrowers for the AOC Cognac (UGVC)
Jean-Christophe Baraud
Nicolas Baudry
Eric Billhouet – Alternate for the official representative of the Viticulture family
François Bodin
Christophe Forget – President of the ODG section
Julien Massé
Nicolas Tricoire
