Thirty-three emerging leaders in Margaret River and McLaren Vale have embarked on the latest Next Crop program, a regional platform to introduce leadership, business and management skills to build capacity within wine regions.
Next Crop, a partnership between Wine Australia and regional associations, provides leadership development aimed at keeping the future generation engaged and committed to their region and career in the grape and wine sector.
The selected emerging regional leaders from the 2024 Margaret River and McLaren Vale cohorts bring diverse experiences and backgrounds to the program.
Margaret River’s Next Crop participants are: Andrew Bretherton, Head Winemaker, Juniper Estate; Cyndal Petty, Wine Director, Parker Group; Daniel Stocker, Juniper Estate, Assistant Vineyard Manager; David Targett, Sales & Assistant General Manager, Fermoy Estate; Ellin Tritt, Winemaker, Fraser Gallop Estate; Gavin Crawcour, Brand Manager, Voyager Estate; Ian MacDonald Vineyard Manager, Vasse Felix; James Revie, Senior Winemaker, Vasse Felix; Kate Nickels, Technical Viticultural Officer, Fogarty Wine Group; Megan Read, Direct Sales & Cellar Door Manager, Walsh & Sons; Natasha Lynch, General Manager, Swings & Roundabouts Pty Ltd; Samantha Bradley, Cellar Door Manager, Xanadu Wines; Thomas Bradshaw, Winemaker & Owner, Thomas William Wines/Vinline Mobile Bottling; Trent Kelly, Senior Winemaker, Aravina Estate; and Ulrika Larsson, Brand & Venue Manager, Clairault Streicker.
“I expect the program to be transformative, inspirational and thought provoking, giving me new perspectives and ideas,” said Ulrika Larsson.
“I hope to gain skills and confidence to further my career and deepen my involvement in the wine industry.”
McLaren Vale’s Next Crop cohort are: lan Varney, Winemaker & Director, Varney Wines; Ashleigh Seymour, Winemaker, Paxton Wines; Berenice Axisa, Head of Sales & Marketing, Dandelion Vineyards; Clint Ledgard, Viticulturist & Owner, Windmill Creek Vineyards; Dan Horsfall, Viticulturist & Owner, Boondie Estate Vineyards; Henry Hardy, Sales & Marketing Manager, Ox Hardy Wines; Holly Marquis, Cellar Door Manager, Mollydooker Wines; James Cooter, Co-Owner & Winemaker, Hedonist Wines / Cooter & Cooter; Jen Pedder, Viticultural Agronomist, DJ's Growers - McLaren Vale; Jeremy Maxwell, General Manager, Maxwell Wines; Jose Neves ,Vineyard Manager, Wirra Wirra Wines; Lachlan Scrase, Winemaker & Production Coordinator, Haselgrove Wines; Lauren Langfield, Winemaker & Director, Lauren Langfield Wines; Luke Beare, Sales Manager, Maxwell Wines.
“McLaren Vale has such a rich history of making wine with many great leaders paving the way, so it is an honour to be considered a future leader of this incredible region,” said Jeremy Maxwell.
“Some people are born leaders but most become them through hard work and constant learning, and through this program I look forward to learning what it takes to be a great leader.”
The Next Crop program has been offered to two regions every year since 2021. These have included the Barossa Valley, Langhorne Creek, Clare Valley, Greater Victoria, Riverina and Tasmania.
Wine Australia Senior Program Manager Jo Hargreaves said each regional association could adjust the content and structure of the Next Crop program to meet specific regional and participant needs.
“It is encouraging to see how each region is designing the program to suit their own leadership development requirements and I’m confident, as more Next Crop programs are rolled out, they will learn from each other’s experiences and adapt their own programs accordingly,” Jo said.
“We know many regional communities struggle to develop and retain leadership capacity, both in quantity of leaders and breadth of their skills. A lack of investment in building this capacity and limited opportunities for leaders can create a leadership void.
“Our aim is to generate and support networks of people at a local level who can lead, inspire, and navigate change. They may take up roles on regional boards or committees or simply increase their capacity for regional commitments in a more informal way,” Jo said.
About Next Crop
The Next Crop program is an opportunity for Australian wine regions to design and deliver their own bespoke leadership development offering at minimal cost for participants. It is a three-way partnership between Wine Australia, regional partners and a provider organisation. The Next Crop concept originated in the Barossa, with Nicki Robins at Barossa Australia and seed funding from Wine Australia’s Regional Program.
The program provides a flexible and regionally targeted platform to introduce leadership, business and management skills for individuals to build capacity within the community. It aims to keep the future generation engaged and committed to their region and careers in the sector. Visit www.wineaustralia.com/next-crop
Next month Wine Australia will be calling for applications from regions to host Next Crop 2025.