New Chair announced for WISA

Wine Industry Suppliers Australia (WISA) has announced that Paula Edwards was unanimously voted to the role of Chair of the Association.

Edwards, the General Manager of member company Winegrapes Australia, replaces David Evans who resigned from the board at the end of January.

With more than 26 years’ experience, Edwards has worked in many of Australia’s renowned wine regions including Clare Valley, McLaren Vale, Adelaide Hills, Coonawarra, and more. An experienced viticulturist with a deep understanding of grape and wine production on both large and small scale, Edwards' experience extends to marketing of grapes and wine and production logistics.

“Set against a backdrop of bubbling optimism across the Australian Wine Community, WISA and its members are committed more than ever to pursuing a collaborative approach across the value chain,” said Edwards. “The landscape is changing and we are keen to play an integral role in ensuring the industry can exploit all and any opportunities to improve the capability and competitiveness of Australian grape and wine producers.”

Following Edwards' elevation from the Vice Chair position, the board announced that Kate Bickford, from member company DW Fox Tucker Lawyers, was also unanimously endorsed as the Vice Chair.

WISA Executive Officer, Matthew Moate says both Edward’s and Bickford’s commercial and professional experience coupled with their industry knowledge will serve the Association extremely well and he looks forward to working with them closely.

“Having worked with both Paula and Kate on the board over the past 12 months they have demonstrated strong strategic and leadership skills that will serve them well in their respective important new roles.” Moate said “It will be a privilege to continue to learn from them as we head into what I expect will be a significant growth phase for the Association as we focus on increasing our capabilities in supporting not only our members but the wider industry.”

David Evans reluctantly resigned as Chair after only 12 months in the role, after a change of employment resulted in him no longer being a representative of a member company.

WISA notes that while he was only Chair for a short time, he played a pivotal and impactful role in lifting the relevance of WISA as the peak national body representing the suppliers across the Australian grape and wine value chain. 

“WISA owes David a debt of gratitude for his commitment and ability to reach across industry in a collaborative style that has resulted in strengthening WISA’s relationships, relevance and standing across the Australian grape and wine community” added Moate. “David’s strong collaborative and engagement focus has set WISA on a positive trajectory to add even greater value to industry in the future and we wish him well with his new endeavours.”

Pictured: Paula Edwards accepting the Industry Collaboration Award at the 2014 WISA Supplier of the Year Awards.