Dr Martin Cole appointed CEO at Wine Australia

Dr Martin Cole will join Wine Australia next month as the new CEO replacing Andreas Clarke who steered the organisation for the past 8 years and 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, “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."

Dr Cole said, “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”, Dr Cole said.