The Australian Grape and Wine Authority (AGWA) is encouraging individuals in the grape and wine sector to give a ‘tap on the shoulder’ to potential applicants for Future Leaders, the sector’s leadership development program.
Funded by the sector and coordinated by AGWA, Future Leaders will be offered to 15 applicants with open, creative, inquisitive minds who are early- to mid-career and already demonstrating leadership potential.
Over the past 10 years, the program has produced 75 alumni from the grape and wine community: winemakers; grape growers and viticulturists; business managers and marketers; suppliers and researchers.
Tom Ward, Swinging Bridges’ Winemaker who was part of the third Future Leaders intake in 2009, said that the program for him was life changing.
“I’ve been very lucky – I have been to university and I have been part of the Len Evans Tutorial but Future Leaders was the biggest game changer for me,” he said.
“It taught us to run our businesses well, to be strategic in the workplace, but also to expand our thinking beyond day-to-day issues.
“I wouldn’t be where I am without the Future Leaders program.”
Katherine Brown from Brown Brothers and 2012 graduate said that encouraging people to get involved is particularly important in smaller regions where it can be hard to find mentors or develop networks.
“I took so much out of the program. You’re sharing time and ideas with winemakers, viticulturists, marketers and administrators from all states and from companies big and small, and these are people who care about the industry and where they want it to go.
“Everyone I speak with is positive about it. There’s a feeling not only that we need more younger leaders in the industry but also that we need to expose younger people to concepts that challenge their thinking and allow them to look outside the industry for ideas and strategies.”
The successful applicants will commence a six-month program in June, including four face-to-face sessions across the country.
Applications now close Tuesday, 17 March 2015.
Visit the Future Leaders 2015 website and ‘tap someone on the shoulder’ via email, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Google+.