Pillars of Performance: 5 Influential General Managers Powering Wine & Spirits Growth, 2026
In the world of wine and spirits, where legacy is measured not only in decades but in generations, leadership demands more than operational expertise. It requires guardianship. It requires patience. And above all, it requires a deep respect for what has been entrusted to one’s care.
For Michele Monica, General Manager of Azienda San Gregorio, leadership is not a title earned—it is a responsibility accepted. His journey reflects a rare balance between reverence for tradition and the courage to lead transformation with integrity.
For Roula Youssef Halabi, Senior Vice President of Global Fertility Services at CooperSurgical, the pursuit of excellence in healthcare has been a lifelong mission.
Born and raised in Lebanon, her formative years were influenced by a culture that valued resilience, adaptability, and community—qualities that would later define her leadership style. Roula’s journey from a trained midwife to leadership roles in the fertility industry is not only a testament to her unwavering commitment to the health of women, babies, and families – the very mission she strives toward at CooperSurgical – but her dedication to excellence in everything she does.
CooperSurgical is a fertility & women’s health company rooted in a dedication to upholding the highest standards and reaching new heights as a leader in the industry: a guiding principle with which Roula found perfect harmony. Since 2023, she has led the global fertility services business, placing paramount importance on excellent quality care for customers and their patients, around the world.
Read on for excerpts from our interview with Roula where she brings to light how she inspires excellence in her teams through passionate leadership and empowering others.
The Path to Leadership
My journey began in the delivery rooms, where I witnessed firsthand the complexities and joys of bringing new life into the world. My education and training as a midwife gave me a deep understanding of the human side of healthcare. However, I felt a pull toward broader challenges in leadership, particularly in the domain of infertility—a field often fraught with emotional and physical hurdles for patients.
I’ve always been driven by the desire to create meaningful change and impact. Transitioning from midwifery to the infertility world having the opportunity to see the business from different lenses, the lens of a patient and the lens of a customer where I was the COO for the largest fertility network in the Middle East, and the lens of a supplier allowed me to address not only the clinical aspects, but also the emotional and social dynamics, of building families, along with the innovation and advanced technology that ensure access to care and improve outcomes.
After a few years in the field, I transitioned into business, combining clinical expertise with strategic acumen. I now bring 24 years of global healthcare expertise and leadership experience to my role, including managing a quarter-billion-dollar P&L and leading M&A endeavors. My journey has also been shaped by effective collaboration within complex organizations, strategic goal-setting, and international expansion initiatives. My multilingual skills (English, French, and Arabic) and dual nationalities (Lebanese and American) have enriched my ability to navigate diverse markets and cultures.
Staying Motivated in a Dynamic Role
For me, motivation stems from my dual focus: advancing medical innovation and making a real difference in patients’ lives. Every product we develop, every solution we deliver, has the potential to change someone’s story and help people achieve their dream of parenthood. That’s incredibly powerful.
Staying driven in a global leadership role requires balancing a demanding schedule with personal values. I credit my family for keeping me grounded; their support is my anchor. My commitment to a balanced and healthy lifestyle, including my active participation in the F45 High-Intensity Team Challenge, helps me maintain the energy and focus needed for my responsibilities.
Integrating Technology and Empathy
In a field as sensitive as fertility, the challenge lies in integrating cutting-edge technology without losing the patient focus. We can’t just innovate for innovation’s sake. We need to ask, ‘How does this improve the patient journey and the patient outcome? How does it support clinics in delivering better care for their patients?’
At CooperSurgical, we have introduced solutions and services that simplify complex processes, such as electronic witnessing systems and advanced genomic testing. But the real triumph lies in ensuring these innovations are accessible and empowering for patients and clinics alike.
Empowering Women Professionals
As a woman in a leadership role, I am deeply committed to fostering an environment where women can thrive. I have championed initiatives that promote mentorship, career development, and a culture of inclusivity. I believe that diverse voices drive innovation.
Empowerment is about creating opportunities and removing barriers. It’s about recognizing potential and investing in people, providing them with the tools to succeed.
My advice to young women aspiring to lead in healthcare is to believe in your vision and don’t be afraid to take risks. Seek mentors, build your network, and never stop learning. Most importantly, measure your success by the people you uplift, and don’t forget to celebrate the small wins along the way. Overcoming Challenges
My career has not been without its hurdles. Navigating a transition from a regional role to a global leadership position in a traditionally male-dominated industry came with unique challenges. These experiences, however, provided invaluable opportunities to break barriers, challenge biases, and pave the way for greater inclusivity.
Leadership is not just about making tough decisions in difficult times. It’s also about transparency, empathy, and ensuring that those decisions align with the organization’s values and long-term vision. As COO at Fakih IVF, I contributed to a significant industry acquisition and gained hands-on experience in board-level operations, preparing me for my current leadership responsibilities at CooperSurgical.
Board Memberships and Industry Contributions
Beyond my executive role at CooperSurgical, I serve as a board member for MECOMED and AVL Skincare, where I leverage my expertise to drive strategic initiatives and foster industry growth. My involvement underscores my dedication to advancing healthcare and related sectors through collaboration and innovation.
Defining Success and The Future of Fertility
Looking ahead, I see a future shaped by more personalized treatment, increased accessibility, and the integration of AI in clinical decision-making. The next frontier is making fertility solutions available to more people, irrespective of geography or socioeconomic status.
For me, success is about impact. It’s not just about hitting numbers or launching products. It’s about leaving a legacy of innovation, compassion, and empowerment. It’s about the lives we touch and the futures we help create.
As I continue to lead CooperSurgical’s fertility services with vision and heart, I am committed to excellence and inspiration to change fertility care for generations to come.
Pillars of Performance: Michele Monica’s Stewardship of Heritage, Growth, and Human-Centred Leadership at Azienda San Gregorio
In the world of wine and spirits, where legacy is measured not only in decades but in generations, leadership demands more than operational expertise. It requires guardianship. It requires patience. And above all, it requires a deep respect for what has been entrusted to one’s care.
For Michele Monica, General Manager of Azienda San Gregorio, leadership is not a title earned—it is a responsibility accepted. His journey reflects a rare balance between reverence for tradition and the courage to lead transformation with integrity.
A Leadership Philosophy Rooted in Stewardship
Michele’s career has been shaped by a profound understanding that tradition cannot be preserved through inertia. Very early in his professional path, he recognised a fundamental truth: tradition is not something one protects by remaining static. It is something one honours by ensuring its sustainability over time.
This insight became the cornerstone of his leadership approach. Each professional milestone reinforced his belief that leadership is an act of stewardship—caring simultaneously for people, values, and performance.
Becoming General Manager of Azienda San Gregorio was not, in his words, an endpoint. It was not an arrival. Rather, it represented a commitment to carry forward something meaningful—a responsibility to safeguard the company’s identity while preparing it to thrive in a rapidly evolving global landscape.
Driving Growth with Clarity and Purpose
Under Michele’s leadership, growth has never been reactive or opportunistic. It has been deliberate and grounded in clarity.
The strategic priorities guiding Azienda San Gregorio are centred on strengthening identity, investing patiently in quality, and cultivating trust throughout the organisation. Michele firmly believes that consistency in performance is only achievable when every individual understands not merely what the organisation is doing, but why it is doing it.
For him, growth must respect three essential dimensions: the rhythm of the land, the integrity of the brand, and the people who bring the enterprise to life each day.
Sustainable expansion, therefore, is not driven solely by market ambition. It is driven by alignment—between purpose and practice, between heritage and innovation, and between leadership and teams.
Measuring What Truly Matters
While financial metrics remain essential in evaluating business health, Michele’s definition of long-term success extends far beyond numbers on a balance sheet.
He considers financial performance alongside more nuanced indicators: brand credibility, customer loyalty, and organisational stability. Particular attention is paid to whether employees remain with the company, grow within their roles, and feel genuine pride in their work.
These human indicators, he believes, often predict long-term resilience more accurately than short-term financial fluctuations.
Profitability without credibility is fragile. Growth without loyalty is temporary. For Michele, sustainable success emerges when commercial achievement is reinforced by trust—within teams, with customers, and across the broader industry.
Innovating Without Losing Identity
The wine industry is undergoing profound transformation. Technological advancements, sustainability imperatives, digital communication platforms, and shifting consumer expectations are reshaping the competitive landscape.
Yet at Azienda San Gregorio, innovation is approached not as disruption, but as refinement.
Michele views innovation as an act of respect—respect for the land, for craftsmanship, and for heritage. Technology and data are employed to protect vineyards, enhance precision in production, and communicate more authentically with global audiences. Sustainability practices are integrated not as marketing narratives, but as operational commitments.
Remaining true to origins, in his view, does not mean freezing tradition in time. It means allowing tradition to breathe and evolve responsibly. Progress and preservation are not opposing forces; they are partners in longevity.
Empowering People Through Trust
Azienda San Gregorio’s strength lies in the synergy between production, marketing, and distribution. Michele recognises that these functions, though distinct, must operate in alignment to deliver excellence.
Empowerment begins with listening. Michele believes individuals perform at their highest level when they feel heard, trusted, and valued. His role as General Manager is to create clarity of direction, remove obstacles, and foster collaboration across departments.
When leadership demonstrates confidence in its people, standards rise organically. When teams understand that their contribution matters—and that their efforts are supported—they elevate their performance not out of obligation, but out of pride.
This culture of trust has proven particularly vital in navigating change, ensuring that transformation strengthens rather than destabilises the organisation.
From Management to Influence
In Michele’s perspective, there is a clear distinction between management and influence.
A good General Manager manages complexity—balancing operations, strategy, and execution. A truly influential one builds belief.
Influence is cultivated over time. It is earned through consistency, integrity, and decisions that respect people, heritage, and the future—not merely immediate performance metrics.
Especially during periods of uncertainty, influence manifests in the confidence a leader inspires. Michele has navigated complex challenges—often involving people and change—by maintaining transparency, empathy, and courage. Difficult decisions are approached with honesty and respect, ensuring dialogue remains open while staying firmly anchored to long-term vision rather than short-term fear.
Responsibility to Land and Future Generations
Few industries are as intimately connected to land as wine. For Michele, this connection carries profound responsibility.
He firmly believes that leaders in wine do not own the land—they borrow it from future generations. Protecting environmental integrity and cultural heritage is therefore not optional; it is essential to the credibility of the business.
Every strategic decision must consider its long-term impact on ecosystems, communities, and tradition. Sustainability is embedded not as an afterthought, but as a guiding principle.
Leadership, in this context, becomes an ethical commitment as much as a commercial one.
Navigating Complexity with Empathy and Vision
The most complex challenges Michele has faced have centred around navigating change within traditional frameworks. Transformation in heritage-driven industries requires sensitivity and strength in equal measure.
Empathy ensures people feel supported through uncertainty. Transparency builds trust. Courage enables decisive action when necessary.
By fostering open dialogue and reinforcing long-term direction, Michele has guided the organisation through complexity without compromising its core identity.
His approach reflects a belief that stability is not achieved by avoiding change, but by managing it with clarity and respect.
The Future of General Management in Wine & Spirits
Looking ahead, Michele anticipates that the role of the General Manager will evolve significantly over the next decade.
Future leaders will need to balance performance with purpose, technology with authenticity, and speed with patience. The demands of global markets, environmental accountability, and digital transformation will require strategic sophistication. Yet, equally important will be the human dimension of leadership.
General Managers will increasingly serve not only as business leaders but as guardians of culture, ecosystems, and trust across complex value chains.
The next generation of leadership, in Michele’s view, will be defined by its ability to harmonise results with responsibility.
Redefining Success
At this stage of his leadership journey, Michele defines success in relational and collective terms.
He speaks with gratitude about ownership that genuinely believes in people—investing in talent, relationships, and long-term vision. Such trust fosters an environment where individuals feel empowered to take responsibility and grow together.
For Michele, success means honouring that confidence by building a company where people feel respected, where shared growth is tangible, and where trust forms the foundation of progress.
It is a vision of leadership that transcends individual achievement. It is about ensuring that when the next generation steps forward, they inherit not only a successful enterprise, but a stronger culture, a protected landscape, and a legacy worthy of continuation.
In Michele Monica’s stewardship, Azienda San Gregorio stands not merely as a business, but as a living testament to what is possible when heritage and humanity guide performance.
