The Chairman of The Australian Wine Research Institute, Mr Peter Dawson, announced today the appointment of two new members to the AWRI Board. “The Board was pleased to ratify the appointments of Ms Liz Riley and Dr John Harvey as new Directors of the AWRI,” he said. In making this announcement, Mr Dawson acknowledged the contribution of, and thanked, outgoing board members, Mr Jim Lumbers and Ms Jan O’Connor.
Appointed as a ‘Special Qualifications Director’, Liz Riley brings to the Board 20 years experience in the wine industry; with six years spent in viticultural roles with Southcorp Wines and the last 11 years as a viticulture consultant. She holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Wine) from Roseworthy Agricultural College. Liz is currently also an ‘Independent Expert for the Wine Industry Code of Conduct’ for Wine Australia and is a member of the Australian Society of Viticulture and Oenology, the Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association and the NSW Farmers Association. The Hunter Valley Wine Industry Association named Liz their ‘Viticulturist of the Year’ this year and she was awarded the Australian Nuffield Farming Scholarship in 1997. Liz’s tenure as a Director of the AWRI commenced on 6 December.
Elected in the ‘small winemaker’ category (crushing up to 2,000 tonnes), John Harvey will commence his tenure as a Director on 1 January 2012. John is the Managing Director and owner of Bathe Wines, producing wines from the Adelaide Hills, McLaren Vale and Tasmania regions. John is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a PhD and MBA from the University of Adelaide. He was formerly the Executive Director of the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation and member of the SA Premier’s Wine Council and is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the Adelaide Hills Wine Region and Journal Advisory Committee of the Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research.
Further information:
Rae Blair, Communication Manager, 0417 810 737 or email: rae.blair@awri.com.au