Volume 1 CONTENTS 6. Wine Australia Introduction 8. Pragmatic Thinking Introduction 10. Wine Future Leaders 2017 MANAGEMENT AND GROWTH AND GROWING MARKETING LEADERSHIP INNOVATION AND MAKING AND BRAND 22. Paula Edwards 48. Dr Anthony Robinson 68. Simon Killeen 94. Claire Doughty Shoring up our sustainability Innovation never stops, but Varieties are the spice of life The brand with a plan where does it start? 28. Richard Angove 74. Richard Leask 100. Chris Morrison Culture cores: trust, respect, 54. Sarah Collingwood Biological agriculture: farming evolution Go with your gut challenge and be present Picking pozible: adventures in crowdfunding 80. Wes Pearson 106. Shirley Fraser 34. Chris Dent 60. Marc Soccio Ladder of development Brand alchemy for a bewitching wine business The modern day grape grower: Giving flight to wine businesses a paradigm of hats 86. Gwyn Olsen 112. Alexia Roberts The sweet spot The future of Australian wines in the USA 40. Nat Pizzini Family business succession 118. Mary Hamilton Brand like a black sheep The Future Leaders program is very well named. For the seventh intake in 2017, things evolved in Each selected their own topics, based on what they three ways. see as pressing issues for the Australian wine sector. When the initiative was launched a decade ago, the We hope you’ll find them all a good read. idea was to provide a framework within which a new First, we appointed a new program provider whose generation of wine sector people could learn new name – Pragmatic Thinking – very much reflects The Future Leaders program has been funded, skills, refine existing ones, develop networks and where we want things to head. There is a strong focus coordinated and supported since its inception by different ways of thinking, and form a nucleus of on thought leadership. Wine Australia, the Winemakers’ Federation of knowledge and enthusiasm to take the sector forward, Australia and Australian Vignerons. We are all pretty in good times and bad. Second, we have put even greater effort into creating pleased with our decision. a genuine FL Alumni and connecting them with this And that is just what has happened. There were some year’s participants – in person and online. It has been 90 graduates from the first six intakes of the program, a very rewarding process for all concerned. and today you will find many of them making a major contribution to the future direction of the sector – in Third, we threw our 16 new participants in at the deep their own companies, on industry associations and end, asking them (OK, requiring them) to put some committees, in boardrooms and political circles, thoughts on paper even before the program had been and anywhere that ideas are being debated and completed. You’re holding the results. Andreas Clark Tony Battaglene Andrew Weeks commitment is required. Chief Executive Officer Chief Executive Executive Director Wine Australia Winemakers’ Federation of Australia Australian Vignerons 6 7 When you think about it, there is something almost Identities have been explored, worthiness questioned What’s unique about this book, is it’s a reflection of wondrous about seeing a new shoot make its way up and confirmed, voices have been found and the this years alumni. They are diverse. They come from and out of the soil. It’s a sign of life; confirmation that industry now holds what each of these leaders all over the industry. They are intelligent, practical, conditions are right. The soil is rich, there has been see as valuable contributions required for deeper connected and brimming with enthusiasm. rain, and the seed itself is ready to push forward. conversation and exploration. So too is this book. You are holding in your hands such a new shoot. There’s power in these types of conversation-starters. Sixteen individual pieces of Thought Leadership Our collective consciousness of what it takes to From the perspective of Pragmatic Thinking, we representing all areas of the Wine Industry. It’s progress all areas of the industry is arguably as can not endorse more highly the potential that lies something to marvel in. valuable as good rainfall, a new piece of technology in the Wine Future Leaders 2017 alumni. They are or the discovery of a new methodology. all generous humans, focussed on the bigger picture, Our brief when framing the writing of these pieces and not just themselves. They’ve been ready to turn was very specific. Find your voice. Talk to what you What got us here, is unlikely to get us where we need up, be present, contribute and collaborate through know. What is it you’ve learned in your time in the to be; the more we enter that conversation —the deeper the whole process. They’ve been a delight to guide industry? What’s your contribution? we go— the better we’ll future-proof ourselves. through the challenging growth process that is Future Leaders 2017. If this is the future of the Australian Wine Industry — it’s in very good hands. 8 9 WINE FUTURE LEADERS 2017 11 Paula Richard Chris Natalie Edwards Angove Dent Pizzini Paula Edwards is a viticulturist with over 27 years’ Richard is a fifth-generation member of the Angove Chris Dent owns and runs his family vineyard near Natalie’s first role in the family business was as experience in the Australian wine industry. She has winemaking family. Swan Hill, Victoria. Chris found his passion for the manager of the family owned Mountain View Hotel worked for producers of all sizes in some of Australia’s wine industry at a young age while helping his dad on in Whitfield in 1997. Over the eight years spent there best wine regions, including Clare Valley, McLaren He was not immediately interested in wine, instead the farm and from there followed his dream. she learnt a lot about what people want - whether Vale, Adelaide Hills and Coonawarra, and has a deep completing a degree in Business with a focus on staff, locals or tourists. At this time tourism in the understanding of grape and wine production on both Marketing. However, he inevitably worked in the After studying Viticulture at Charles Sturt Univeristy, King Valley was in its early growth stages and large and small scale. business during school and university holidays, getting he spent 10 years working for two of Australia’s Natalie contributed through ensuring the Mountain a taste for what goes on in the vineyard, winery, largest wine companies in viticultural roles before View Hotel offered a great visitor experience as well Her experience extends to marketing of grapes and laboratory and bottling department. More importantly, moving back to the family farm. as providing leadership and highly-valued input into wine, production logistics and business management. he tasted and was inspired by a 20-year-old Clare a number of local tourism bodies. Paula has equally demanding roles as General Riesling that was still fresh and vibrant, motivating Chris is currently the deputy chair of Murray Valley Manager of Winegrapes Australia and mother of two him to enrol in a postgraduate Diploma in Winemaking Winegrowers Incorporated and is a passionate Stepping into managing the branding and marketing feisty teenagers. (Oenology) at the University of Adelaide. advocate for the warm inland wine regions. role at Pizzini Wines in 2004 has allowed Natalie’s creativity free reign as she comes up with events both Fully qualified, Richard took off overseas to gain In his spare time, Chris volunteers at his local football on site and around Australia, edits the much-loved experience in as many different wine regions as club and loves taking his young family camping along Pizzini newsletter Tre Amori and plans the next move possible, with no clear plan to return. However, he the Murray River. to put Pizzini Wines into people’s glasses. “I love that was drawn back to the family business in 2009 and is I am able to work with my family to build a business now Joint Managing Director with his sister Victoria. for our family. I also love it when we create an event, whether in the King Valley or anywhere else, that really captures the spirit of Pizzini – the smiling faces when we say goodbye are the best reward.” Outside of working for the family’s business, Natalie currently sits on two Ministerial Advisory Councils for the Victorian State Government – the Wine MAC and Visitor Economy MAC. Natalie also sits on the Regional Tourism Board for Tourism North East Natalie is married to Bernie Wood and they have two children, Charlie and Robbie. 12 13 Anthony Sarah Marc Simon Robinson Collingwood Soccio Killeen Dr Anthony Robinson lives in the Barossa Valley, Sarah Collingwood owns and manages a micro- Trained as an economist and a winemaker, Marc Simon Killeen is a winemaker from Rutherglen who where he is the Grape and Wine Innovation winery and vineyard in the Canberra District, Four Soccio decided to ‘blend’ the two and over the has a long family history in the wine industry. Finishing Strategist for Treasury Wine Estates. He started Winds Vineyard. Outside the business Sarah is the past 15 years has become one of the wine sector’s school, Simon worked in wineries and vineyards his career in 2000 and has since worked in a range mother of two and aims to ride her mountain bike and leading analysts. After seven years working with across Australia, large and small, and completed his of roles across the sector, from retail to research, screen-print whenever time permits. Rabobank’s economics and markets research team, winemaking degree at Charles Sturt University. viticultural management and winemaking.