By Jed Lanyon
The Yarra Valley wine industry was well represented among Wine Australia’s Future Leaders program, which aims to develop leaders of the Australia grape and wine community.
Fifteen of the most dynamic and skilled members of the Australian wine community joined the roll call of the grape and wine sector’s professional and personal development program, four of which hail from the Yarra Valley.
Wine Australia CEO and chair of the Future Leaders selection panel Andreas Clark said the applications this year were outstanding.
“Almost 100 applications were received for this year’s program and it was a highly competitive field,” he said. “It was exciting to hear more about the incredible skills and diverse experiences of people within our community – and it was difficult to select just 15 people.
“The 15 Future Leaders selected will experience some changes to the program compared to previous years. Over the past 18 months our sector has experienced significant disruption and we recognise that the skills that we need to develop have evolved. I look forward to meeting with the Future Leaders group to discuss how we can work towards making lasting differences and support our grape and wine community through ongoing uncertainty.’
The Future Leaders comprise members from across the breadth of the sector including viticulturists, winemakers, consultants, scientists, communicators and executives.
Steven Faulkner, senior viticulturist at Coldstream’s Oakridge Wines, said he was humbled to be joining Future Leaders.
“Being chosen from amongst my peers, gives me confidence in myself and the direction I have chosen in the wine industry. I look forward to gaining leadership skills that I need to impact the wine industry in a positive professional way. I love my career in the vineyard, and I want to share it with others and encourage other people to enter into viticulture.”
Mr Faulkner shared what he hopes to take away from the leadership program.
“Leadership skills that will enable (me) to continue to help those involved in viticulture to learn, develop themselves and to continue with their careers in viticulture. There is a shortage of viticulture professionals, and the more people we can retain and the more new people we can give an interest in the field to, the better.”
Mavis Zhang is a winemaker turned consultant working for Wine Network Consulting in Healesville.
Through her work Ms Zhang provides clients with everything from technical services such as winery design and winery engineering projects to business advice and strategy while helping potential investors determine their best options in the wine industry.
“One of the things I really appreciate about the program is recognising a very diverse background and involving more female Future Leaders, that’s one of the things that strikes me, there’s nine ladies in there and that’s really impressive and encouraging and I feel very honoured to be one of those.”
For Ewan Proctor, the Future Leaders program is the start of a new chapter as his career in the international wine export market was hampered due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A move he called a “kick in the guts”.
Having spent most of the last decade overseeing export markets across Asia and North America, Mr Proctor turned to the domestic market and while he is listed as a wine consultant, he jokes that it’s a “cover up” for being underemployed.
Mr Proctor described being named as a Future Leader as “Very validating” after a difficult year.
“I’m sure there will be an element of personal growth, but what really excites me is being able to meet and learn amongst a network of my peers… I look forward to deepening my knowledge of the sector as a whole.”
Mr Proctor said he was “stoked” to see over a quarter of the applicants chosen live or work in the Yarra Valley.
“That shows so much of what I’ve always believed in that the Yarra Valley is a special, special place… To have four people go through the program and hopefully contribute to pushing the Valley further and further ahead.”
Katherine Herd is the production manager at Domaine Chandon in Coldstream. She’s worked in the Australian wine industry in Australia for the last 10 years as well as in New Zealand for some time.
Ms Herd’s role has her oversee the process of taking the wine from the winemakers to be packaged for the public to enjoy. Ms Herd was named a Future Leader and described it as “exciting” as she said her role doesn’t typically get a lot of exposure within the industry.
“To be honest, it feels really great. I’ve invested a lot of time and energy in the wine industry and my career, both here and in New Zealand. It feels great to be recognised as someone who can play a big part in the future of the wine industry.
“A big part of the program is about personal development with workshops and sessions designed specifically to create leaders. I want to take away as much as I can to refine the leadership skills I currently have and to learn from the best.”
“It’s a huge opportunity to increase my understanding of the wine industry and the challenges it faces and learn how I can help and use my skills and experience to help the Yarra Valley wine industry.”
