Bastien Collard de Billy – the first sixth generation family member to work for the Champagne house, joined the company in 2020. While he grew up in Paris, Champagne was in his blood – he received his first taste of Pol Roger at his baptism when he was just a year old, enjoying a drop from a friendly finger, and was around five years old when he took his first proper sip. He used to visit the Pol Roger maison at weekends, when his grandfather would show him around the vineyards and give him tours of the cellars. At his wedding, he toasted his new bride with Pol Roger Brut Reserve from a Salmanazar. After attaining political science degrees in Bordeaux and Paris, Collard, nephew of fifth-generation director Hubert de Billy, worked as a lawyer for a top-tier firm in Paris. In 2017 he was appointed as a mergers and-acquisitions lawyer at the headquarters of Pernod Ricard, and subsequently held the same position with the Cognac and Champagne subsidiary of the group. Both experiences proved invaluable training for his current role as general secretary at Pol Roger.