Gillian Johnston is the daughter of Summerfield Johnston Jr., a business executive who served as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Coca-Cola Enterprises from 1991 to 2001,[1] and a polo player.
[4][5] She grew up at Bendabout farm in McDonald in Bradley County, Tennessee.
[2] Her brother, Summerfield Johnston III, died from polo-related injuries in 2007.
[9] Four years later, in 2003, they won the championship at the Royal Palm Polo Club in Boca Raton, Florida alongside Adam Snow, Miguel Novillo Astrada and Tommy Biddle.
[10] In 2013, she won the Ylvisaker Cup alongside Sugar Erskine, Julio Arellano and Tommy Collingwood against Marc Ganzi's Audi team.