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S U S A N  R  L I N 

Master of Wine

Wine & Performing Arts

susan@susanrlin.com

Resume

Head of Wine Expertise & Business Development

Belmont Wine Exchange (July 2014 - current) - San Francisco Bay Area

I provide an excellent experience for fine wine customers and partners through highly personalized service and deep expertise. I specialize in the evaluation of premium wines and serve as a resource for discerning clients, from individual collectors to Michelin-starred restaurants.
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  • Provide concierge services with wine expertise, cellar curation and pairing consultation, fine wine inspection and authentication
  • Establish and nurture long-term relationships with producers, negociants, and distributors to improve product offerings
  • Oversaw the company's first futures campaign for Bordeaux En primeur
  • Created the company's Chinese c0-brand and produced bilingual marketing materials, growing our customer base
  • Refreshed the company's brand
  • Managed and executed the company's first exposition appearance, in Shanghai, China

Master of Wine

Institute of Masters of Wine (February 2021 - current)

I have passed the 3 stages of the Masters of Wine Examination, recognized worldwide for its high standards, earning the Master of Wine (MW) qualification. My research paper Influences of Classical Music on the Perception of a Brut Non-Vintage Champagne can be accessed here via the Institute of Masters of Wine. 

Wine and Performing Arts
Susan R Lin MW (July 2013 - current) - San Francisco Bay Area

I provide deep expertise based on academic research and craft knowledge to create memorable experiences for brands, individual collectors, bars and restaurants, wineries, performing arts organizations, corporate and private events.
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  • Wine and spirits + musical experiences and branding
  • Judging and evaluation (quality, packaging, target demographic analysis)
    • TEXSOM, Loire Valley Wines, Oregon Wine Competition, USA Wine Ratings, among others​
  • Conference and panel speaker, industry interview programs
    • TEXSOM, Beverage Trade Network, Court of Master Sommeliers, SOMMATION, The Voice of Wine, and more
  • Writing
    • Published in GuildSomm, Tim Atkin MW, La Voce di Biondi-Santi, among others
  • Curation of wine and spirits collections 
  • Selections and pairings for corporate and private events
  • Brand identity, marketing strategy and customer definition
  • Wine and spirits program design

Wine Instructor - WSET

WSET APPs (January 2016 - current) - San Francisco Bay Area

I am certified by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) as an instructor and exam proctor, preparing wine professionals and dedicated enthusiasts for Level 2 (Intermediate) and Level 3 (Advanced) certification exams. My goal is to make classes engaging and enjoyable, while ensuring a superlative educational experience. 

Marketing and Development Consultant

Peninsula Symphony (November 2014 - current) - San Francisco Bay Area

I work with the Marketing Committee to create a strategy for the Symphony's short- and long-term roadmap to galvanize the live classical music experience by re-imagining programs, developing audiences, and determining investment where it counts most.

ENCORE! Board
San Francisco Ballet (July 2014 - July 2022) - San Francisco Bay Area

I helped shape the board's strategic direction and drove execution to meet our goals of reaching new audiences, and cultivate future subscribers and donors.
  • Created unique social, educational events for young professionals to experience world class ballet
  • Hosted and moderated events and interviews with ballet artists and artistic staff
  • Helped surpass stretch goals for new memberships for successive seasons
  • Contributed to the launch of sold-out event "Sensorium" juxtaposing exploratory pop-ups with traditional performance
  • Served on the Executive Committee for 5 years, including 2 years as Vice President

Program Strategy Consultant

San Francisco Symphony (January 2014 - January 2015) - San Francisco Bay Area

I worked with the General Management Division to drive the Symphony's digital media program through strategic development grounded in research, focusing on growing the brand and business via new initiatives integrated with an overall business and communications strategy.
 
Through this program I helped create the organization's inaugural digital media charter, which was approved by the Board of Directors and used towards defining the Symphony's future direction as part of a reassessment of its vision.

Program Manager

Marvell Semiconductor (June 2012 - December 2013) - Santa Clara, CA

Reporting to the VP of People Operations, I served on the Leadership Team working on ways to set the company up for long term success from an organizational strategy perspective with change management being a key focus. I also worked to create a brand culture both internally and externally.
 
  • Led the planning and launch of a revised global Performance Management program for the company’s 8000 employees, heading a task force of cross-functional team members in HQ and key international offices
  • Built strategy for organizational and cultural change in collaboration with the Leadership Team and designed processes for change management
  • Created a corporate communications program and wrote 30+ executive and company-wide releases
  • Launched online resource portal to document program processes and maintain key updates; managed information sharing and collaboration across organizations

Program Manager, Global Geo Operations (Google Maps)

Google (July 2011 - July 2012) - Mountain View, CA

I managed a Quality Operations team of 75 people across major markets, working with Engineering to validate backend quality improvements and pilot special features for Google Maps. I concurrently managed the global policy and training programs for an international team spanning 25+ markets and 800+ people with the goal of improving the quality and brand strength of Google Maps worldwide.
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  • Enabled launches of backend and frontend improvements via analysis of data and user trends
  • Designed and launched a new international training and testing system; established consistency in benchmarking and visibility into quality proficiency worldwide
  • Implemented a global policy documentation overhaul, boosting overall productivity and morale

Program Manager, East Asia Geo Operations (Google Maps)

Google (July 2010 - July 2011) - Beijing, China/Tokyo, Japan

My goal was to improve Google Maps in East Asia: Better user experience, increased brand strength and retention.
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  • Established a Quality Center for East Asia in Beijing and ramped a pilot team to full operations
  • Identified new opportunities, designed projects, hired and set up new teams for 5 key markets, trained and managed a team of 70 people
  • Analyzed trends in user issues and brand perception, working with Product, Eng, and Marketing teams to effect improvements and shape marketing campaigns
  • Ramped new team to meet global targets with top quality metrics within the first two weeks
  • Grew team size 7x within one quarter, a group of motivated people capable of handling diverse Engineering projects
  • Initiated launches of backend and frontend improvements via analysis of data and user trend
  • Co-launched three marketing campaigns in Asia to strengthen brand awareness and introduce new products
  • Product/Engineering Award recipient for the launch of Google Japan Emergency Maps to help people find loved ones, food, and shelter in the aftermath of the Tohoku Earthquake

Program Manager, International Search Quality (Google Search)

Google (January 2007 - July 2010) - US/Japan/China/Taiwan/Hong Kong/Korea

My goal was to improve Google for users in East Asia: Better user experience, increased brand strength and retention.
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  • Conducted research to find out how users approach information in the online space, what problems/gaps they see, and analyzed trends in brand perception
  • Hired and managed 5 researchers in Asia to gather user data, feedback, trends.
  • Worked with Engineering, Product Management, and Marketing to launch new features and products   
  • Successfully launched 15+ Search Quality improvements across Google Search products
  • Created the Engineering Internationalization Program to give Product teams a framework through which to pilot their products worldwide; created full training suite to scale the program
  • Managed 20+ projects w/Eng to launch products in top 40 international markets
  • Recipient of the Product Engineering Top 5 Achievement Award for International Search Quality Programs

Program Developer

Broadway Dance Center (January 2006 - January 2007) - New York, NY

Reporting to the Director of the International Student Visa Program, I was responsible for:
  • Development of the Japanese outreach program leading to a new marketing campaign and increased number of applicants and incoming students
  • Positioning the brand strategically in global markets
  • Improving student retention

Marketing Communications Program Specialist

Spansion Japan Limited (January 2005 - January 2006) - Tokyo, Japan

I integrated US and Japan teams during a merger and managed Marketing Communications, Branding, and Business Development in the company's Japan headquarters. 
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  • Identified and bridged process gaps between US -Japan sales and engineering teams
  • Project managed marketing materials and launched campaigns to strengthen the company brand in Japan
  • Managed relationships with Tier 1 customers, 90% of the company's business in Japan
  • Managed internal communications to retain Japanese employees during the merger

Marketing Communications Specialist

Spansion (July 2003 - January 2005) - Sunnyvale, CA

I oversaw global marketing communications and branding for a newly formed spinoff company of AMD and Fujitsu Microelectronics.
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  • Led the company's first international product launch within 1 month
  • Launched brand guidelines for logo, written and spoken brand, trademarks, and co-branding
  • Launched product guides and sample kits; managed outreach to press and customers

Product Marketing Analyst

Advanced Micro Devices (April 2001 - July 2003) - Sunnyvale, CA

I managed international branding and worked closely with Engineering to create white papers and marketing materials .
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  • Wrote and produced product brochures and technical documents for press and customers
  • Oversaw branding across external promotional activity in China, Japan, and Europe
  • Represented the company at external events; managed tradeshows and internal conferences
  • Served as the product resource on Flash Memory for Field Application Engineers and Sales teams

susan@susanrlin.com

LANGUAGES

spoken & written

Chinese - Simplified

Chinese - Traditional

Japanese

Spanish

French

German (basic)

Korean (basic)

PIANO & DANCE

performance

Music

Classical Piano

Jazz Piano

Dance

Chinese Folk

Chinese Classical

Latin & Jazz

​

Languages
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