By Andy Young
Applications are now open for the Future Leaders 17 program, which looks for those who will help to lead Australia’s grape and wine community to future prosperity.
Over the past decade, Future Leaders, funded by Australian Vignerons, Wine Australia and Winemakers’ Federation of Australia, has helped the Australian wine community prepare for the challenges of tomorrow by building today the capabilities of the next generation of leaders.
Anne Duncan, Global Knowledge and People Development Manager at Wine Australia, is overseeing the 2017 program and says a leadership drought is one of the biggest risks the sector faces.
“The international and domestic wine markets are highly competitive and that’s not going to change. To ensure our sector’s future success we need the next generation of leaders to be ready to take us forward,” Duncan said.
“We need leaders who can be catalysts for innovation, who can adapt to the inevitable changes that our sector will face in the future, and who can drive the continual evolution of the Australian wine story, be they winemakers, grapegrowers, export managers or researchers.”
The 91 Future Leaders alumni include winemakers, grapegrowers and viticulturists, business managers and marketers, suppliers and researchers, who have already demonstrated the strong leadership and vision required to position Australia as a fine wine leader on the global stage.
The Future Leaders 17 program has been re-shaped and will explore new avenues in business, marketing and governance, and will also look at how global economics will shape the future. Participants will look at new technology, how they can amplify the innovative thinking that already exists in our sector, and will learn contemporary approaches to people development and commercial success.
Anyone interested in applying for the course should head to the Wine Future Leaders website, applications are now open and will close on Monday, 9 March 2017.