Global Brand Ambassador and 8th generation of the Hennessy family, Mr. Maurice Hennessy is visiting Kenya this week together with his nephew Mr. Roch Hennessy.The Hennessy family will be in the country as part of 200 years’ anniversary celebration of Hennessy VSOP.
As part of their visit, Kenyan Wall Street will meet Mr Maurice for lunch to delve deeper into the heritage of the Hennessy brand and the direction it’s headed to in the greater East african region.
Hennessy has a long history. Its Irish founder, Richard Hennessy, was so delighted with the region that he established a trading firm in Cognac in 1765. Under his son James, the company expanded rapidly and took the name it still has today: Jas Hennessy and Co. Eight generations of Hennessys have run the company, travelling all over world to build up the brand’s universal reputation.
Maurice Hennessy belongs to the latest vintage of this “grand cru”. Born in 1950 in Neuilly, a leafy Parisian suburb, Maurice spent all his youth in Cognac. He then read agriculture at university in Paris before spending a number of years in West Africa. In 1975, he returned home to Cognac and the family firm. After focussing on communications, Maurice left for London, where he played an active role in the development of the British market before returning to Cognac in 1984.
One of the firm’s most tireless ambassadors, he is also often seen at events sponsored by Jas. Hennessy & Co.
Jas Hennessy & Co., or more simply Hennessy, is a cognac house with headquarters in Cognac, France. Jas Hennessy & Co. sells about 50 million bottles a year worldwide, or more than 40 percent of the world’s cognac, making it the world’s largest cognac producer. It is owned by Moët Hennessy, which is in turn owned by Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) group (66%) and Diageo (34%).
Maurice Hennessy is the owner of a vineyard, which involves him personally in the main activity of the region.
