CHARACTERISTICS FOR EXCELLENCE – WOMEN PROVIDING LEADERSHIP

Julia Brown of the Winemakers of Rutherglen was one of twenty leaders who graduated from the four-day intensive The Right Bunch – Women in Wine Leadership Program on Friday 15^th of October 2010 in Adelaide. The Right Bunch was under the auspice of Winemakers Federation of Australia. The twenty women participants were drawn from across the industry with wine-makers, grape-growers, markets, business managers and winery owners making up The Right Bunch 2010 team.

The Graduation was part of the final afternoon of The Right Bunch and involved a presentation to the industry of the mission and strategies developed throughout the four day intensive program. Guests were drawn from national, state and regional industry organisations including service businesses. The 2010 Mission is “to empower and inspire women, in the pursuit of excellence for the wine industry”. The strategies that the women developed to ensure their mission is delivered were:-

1. INSPIRE through the education of consumers
2. EMPOWER through work experience, a mentor program, an online forum and networking.
3. EXCELLENCE through sustainability - environmental, economic and social.

The women plan to continue working on these areas of critical importance for the wine industry and look forward to forming partnerships with interested industry organizations and individuals.

“The Right Bunch was delivered through government funding which allowed for the women to attend the program fully subsidised,” said Jill Briggs program facilitator and manager. “Over four consecutive days the women worked on leadership skill development and implemented their learning through the development of the Mission and strategies.”

The structure of The Right Bunch was developed through a consultation process with women in the wine industry and this resulted in a varied program. The participants were addressed by leading women in the industry, heard five keynote speakers at the “Wine as a Social Bond Workshop” presented by Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation. The women also spent significant time self-managing and developing processes to ensure they provided to the industry a meaningful mission by Friday afternoon.

“The four day workshop was a fantastic experience spending time with a great group of women. The workshop allowed me to develop many skills which will help the Winemakers of Rutherglen and me every day in my working environment” said Julia Brown.

The women were encouraged to step out and continue to make a difference for their industry. This project is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry under Australia’s Farming Future.