The Upper Warden
Vincent Keaveny CBE KStJ
I am delighted to have been elected Upper Warden of the Distillers’ Company for the year 2025-26, having become a Liveryman in 2016. I was born and raised in Ireland and hold degrees from University College Dublin (BCL) and Trinity College, Dublin (MLitt).
I was admitted as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England & Wales in 1992 and have spent my practising career in the City of London. I am currently a partner at international law firm, DLA Piper LLP, where I advise banks and companies throughout the UK and Europe on banking, finance and capital markets matters.
I served on the Committee of the City of London Law Society from 2006 to 2013 and was President of the Society – and, concurrently, Master of the Solicitors’ Company (its Livery arm) – in 2014/15.
I was elected as Alderman for the Ward of Farringdon Within in 2013, served as Aldermanic Sheriff in 2018/19 and as Lord Mayor in 2021/22.
I am currently a Past Master of the Woolmen’s Company and am also a Liveryman of the Spectacle Makers’, Stationers’, Framework Knitters’, Upholders’ and Security Professionals’ Companies.
The Middle Warden
Kirsten Grant Meikle
I am delighted to be elected as Middle Warden of the Worshipful Company of Distillers and will be the first female to hold this position in the 350 years history of the Company.
I have been a member of the WCD since 2007 when my Uncle, David Grant, was a Master, and since that time, I have held a number of positions within our family business, William Grant & Sons, and I am currently working in Procurement. Previous to this, I worked for 7 years with Matthew Clark in a variety of Commercial and Category roles.
Although based in Hampshire and London, I was brought up in Edinburgh and travel to Scotland on a regular basis both for both work and leisure where I still have a strong connection to the Scotch Whisky industry and the many great characters within it.
Since my time in the Distiller’s, I have seen the Company grow and change enormously, with many more female and younger members coming on board and huge advances in our Charitable, Vocational and Educational programmes, and I am proud to be a serving member of the DE&I committee. I am very much looking forward to the year ahead and further progression (if elected) within the Company.
the renter warden
trevor stirling
Trevor was born and grew up in Northern Ireland. He studied Chemical Engineering at Cambridge University but has spent the last forty years bridging the worlds of consumer products, alcohol and finance.
He started his working life with Procter & Gamble, initially as an engineer. After an MBA, he worked for the management consultants McKinsey in London for seven years, where he focused on the consumer sector in general and beverages in particular. Then came five years at Guinness/Diageo Ireland, first as Strategy Director and then as Sales Director for half the Irish business. When he was working in Dublin, Trevor passed his WSET Level 4 Diploma and ran his own private-client wine business in Dublin
In 2004, Trevor joined the stockbroker Bernstein, as their expert in the drinks industry. He has regularly been ranked top drinks analyst in investor surveys, is often referenced in the financial press and occasionally is to be heard at the break of dawn warbling on Radio 4.
Trevor is married to Sarah and has two daughters (Astrid and Clara) and two step-children (Hannah and Archie). Outside work he revels in nerdy pursuits such as: listening to History podcasts and Opera, as well learning foreign languages, most recently Italian.
