Wine Australia and Australian Grape & Wine have opened applications for the sector’s professional development program Future Leaders 2021.
The leadership program aims to furnish the next crop of leaders in Australia’s wine sector with the skills to take their businesses and the sector into the future.
Wine Australia R&D Program Manager and Future Leaders coordinator Jo Hargreaves said the challenges over the past 12 months have tested the resilience and ingenuity of grape and wine businesses across Australia and Future Leaders has been reshaped in response.
“We’ve experienced significant disruption and seen huge shifts in the way many of us connect and work with each other, all within the space of a year, and the way that we lead needs to change in response. We have honed the focus of Future Leaders 2021 on sector impact in a disruptive business landscape,” Hargreaves said.
“Future Leaders 2021 will guide participants on a personal leadership journey that will inspire them to create lasting change – for themselves, their business and our sector.
“Future Leaders fosters world-class leadership qualities. It explores cutting-edge leadership skills, connects participants with distinguished speakers and facilitates mentoring with the program’s alumni community.’
Future Leaders 2021 is funded by Wine Australia, supported by Australian Grape & Wine and delivered with Pragmatic Thinking. The program seen more than 100 leaders within the Australian grape and wine community graduate since 2006.
Philip Shaw Wines’ winemaker Nadja Wallington, a graduate of Future Leaders 2019, encouraged people to apply.
“Future Leaders was a fabulous opportunity to develop my personal leadership style and build a strong network of peers to collaborate with and learn from. It has enabled me to better understand the problems facing the wine sector and geared me with better knowledge and perspective to contribute to the conversations of the future of our sector,” Wallington said.
“No matter what stage of your career you are at, the Future Leaders program has something to offer to your development. You will learn about yourself and how to be a better leader, you will be challenged to grow and take the next step, you will be connected with other fabulous leaders in the industry – there is nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
Applications for Future Leaders 2021 will close on 15 March. People across the grape and wine community are encouraged to apply or send someone they know a ‘tap on the shoulder’ at winefutureleaders.com.