Greg Holland appointed Chair of ABA

Greg Holland, CEO of Spirits & Cocktails Australia has been elected as the new Chair of Alcohol Beverages Australia with Tony Battaglene, CEO of Australian Grape & Wine (pictured below) named as Deputy Chair. John Preston, CEO of Brewers Association, re-elected to the role of Treasurer having acted in the role during 2020.

Mr Holland said," Our industry has a bright future, supporting the livelihoods of close to 500,000 Australians, and driving $52 billion in economic activity.

“Our award-winning products enhance life’s special moments and bring people together. As a pan-industry body, we acknowledge that Australians are drinking more responsibly than ever and should be rewarded by the trust of Government to allow this positive trend to continue.

“I take my responsibility as Chair of the ABA seriously, particularly as the alcohol industry assists the tourism and hospitality sectors’ recovery from COVID. I look forward to collaborating across all parts of our supply chain to advance our industry’s interests."

A new role has also been added to the Executive with Mr Michael Waters, CEO of Retail Drinks Australia, officially appointed as the General Committee Member. This follows ABA’s recent revision of its constitution that was altered to better reflect the organisation’s conduct of business.

Outgoing Chair Bryan Fry had sat in the role for two years, and was thanked by Mr Wilsmore for his completed two his contribution over the last four years and praised for his ability to deliver agreement among the membership on highly contentious matters facing the industry.

Giuseppe Minissale from Australian Liquor Marketers will step out of his role as Executive Committee member following six years of service to the ABA. He helped establish the first ABA Executive and has previously served as Chair and Deputy Chair.

Outgoing Chair Bryan Fry said, “Our industry is a great industry, we have a lot to be proud of. It has been an enormous privilege to have Chaired the association over a period of four years, and I wish to thank all ABA members who have provided valuable support particularly in developing our 2030 Vision, which for the first time quantified our economic, social and environmental contributions to Australia.”