Wine Australia has announced Dr Martin Cole will join as its new CEO on 15 November 2021, replacing Andreas Clark who left the organisation in July.
Dr Cole joins Wine Australia from the University of Adelaide, where he is the Head of School, Agriculture, Food and Wine.
Wine Australia Chair Dr Michele Allan said: “We are delighted to welcome Dr Cole as the new CEO, after what’s been a highly competitive recruitment process, and know that he’ll be a great asset to the Australian grape and wine community and our levy payers.
“Along with his wine sector experience, Dr Cole brings extensive experience across government, academia and industry – including the broader agricultural sectors – and has held senior leadership positions at CSIRO, overseas and in larger commercial companies.
“His collaborative, multidisciplinary approach and extensive experience in stakeholder engagement will be of great benefit to the sector, as we focus on growth opportunities for growers, producers and exporters post-COVID-19, Brexit and China’s deposit tariffs on bottled Australian wine imports.
“I’d like to once again take this opportunity to thank Andreas Clark for his 15 years of service to Wine Australia, including 8 years as CEO, where he oversaw the delivery of the Australian Government’s $50 million Export and Regional Wine Support Package.
“A big thank you also to our interim CEO Steven Weinert, who has provided significant support to the Wine Australia Board since Andreas’ departure in July,” said Dr Allan.
Dr Cole said: “I am excited to be joining Wine Australia at this critical time.
“Grape and wine is such an important sector for Australia but faces many challenges and opportunities.
“Without doubt, excellent collaboration and world best practice innovation will be critical to driving future growth and profitability for our stakeholders.”