Co-Founder and CEO, Clos LaChance Winery, San Martin

From Silicon Valley to Wine Country

Bill Murphy holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Tufts University and a master’s degree in business administration from San Diego State University.

He began his career as a service engineer at the San Diego Division of Hewlett Packard.

He was named Group Marketing Manager of the Peripherals Group, located in Boise, Idaho. During this time, he was instrumental in establishing HP’s dealer distribution network, and established the brand “LaserJet”.

Subsequently, he was named Director of Marketing for Hewlett-Packard’s Computer Systems Organization, where he was responsible for worldwide marketing of Hewlett-Packard’s Computer and Systems products.

He is currently Chairman, CEO and Founder of Clos LaChance Wines, Inc., one of the fastest growing premium wineries in California. Located in San Martin, Clos LaChance consists of a new state of the art winery, 150-acre Estate vineyard as well as extensive wine tasting and hospitality facilities. Clos LaChance is a multigenerational family wine business, with wife Brenda and daughters Cheryl and Kristin all working in the business.

Murphy is active in community and national affairs, having served as chairman of the Boise and Santa Clara Valley chapters of the American Red Cross. He is currently on the Board of Governors of the Silicon Valley Capital Club, as well as Chairman of the Board of Visitors and Fellows at the University of California at Davis.

He is the past Chairman of the Board for the National Information Infrastructure Testbed, and is a currently on the Board of Directors of several technology companies. Murphy is past President of the Board of Trustees for Villa Montalvo, California’s Historic Estate for the Arts.

Bill and his wife Brenda reside in Saratoga, California.