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Future Leaders
Future Leaders is the wine community’s national
professional and personal leadership development program
cultivating world-class leadership qualities across the sector.
If you'd like to be advised when applications for Future Leaders 2027 open please email research@wineaustralia.com
Program Updates
Future Leaders is a finalist in the Best Education & Transmission Category
in the annual International V d’Or Vinexposium Business Awards,
which recognise the most impactful and responsible initiatives
in the global wine and spirits industry.
Winners of the awards will be announced at a ceremony in Paris on 8 February.
Program Pillars
Identity of
Leadership
Who are you and what makes you unique? How will you use your strengths to make a difference in
the lives of others?
Discover how to shape your leadership identity
so people choose to follow.
Science of
Leadership
Explore practical evidence
based insights in the neuroscience of leadership. New insights and
actions founded on cutting edge science will
remove the guess work
and improve how you relate to yourself and others.
Art of
Leadership
Discover the art of leadership. How to design a thriving organisation,
how to make cutting
edge decisions, and how to have tough conversations
to build your people
to be their best.
Future of
Leadership
Change is constant and our
leadership needs to step into the new, now.
The future of leadership
requires us to seek trends and build networks.
Watch the video to find out more about
the Future Leaders program
Future Leaders is a professional and personal development program that creates a network of confident, committed individuals who will
be next and contribute to the future success of the
Australian wine community.
Funded by the sector and coordinated by Wine Australia, Future Leaders is a biennial program offered to applicants with open, creative, inquisitive minds who are early to mid-career and already demonstrating leadership potential.
The program is designed to achieve transformational and sustainable impact, not temporary inspiration.
Since 2006 there have been 149 Future Leaders graduates.
Many have taken roles at regional wine and grape grower associations and some have also been appointed to national committees and boards.
Take a look at what our 2023 Future Leaders had to say.
Nick Dugmore
STOKE Wines | McLaren Vale / Kangaroo Island, SA
It’s hard to explain this program in a way that would do it justice, and to completely understand the impact it is capable of. The program has gone above and beyond anything that I could have ever expected. The professional development was more of a given yet exceeded what I was hoping to get. The personal development was an unexpected aspect that has given me a huge amount of confidence, not just in the wine industry and belief in myself as a wine industry member, but just as a human being, a friend, a husband and a dad. I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of this course and have made, at this ripe old age of 41, some friends that I will have and can lean on for life.
Matt Duggan
Domaine Chandon Australia | Yarra Valley, VIC
The FL25 program is the best leadership experience I’ve ever been part of. Ali and Daz from Pragmatic Thinking have clearly designed a deeply thoughtful, connected curriculum — each session building seamlessly on the last across six months. The tools, frameworks and insights I gained will profoundly shape my career and strengthen my ability to positively influence our industry. But the greatest gift has been the people: bonding with 14 phenomenal humans and connecting with the wider FL alumni has created an extraordinary network. With over 150 leaders strong and growing, this ecosystem of collaboration is, without doubt, the program’s greatest legacy.
Callie Jemmeson
PachaMama/Joval Family Wines | Melbourne, VIC
The facilitators were exceptional. They were highly knowledgeable, open, honest and available throughout the course to share advice and resources. It was well organised with clear communication. It was structured in a way that really pushed us out of our comfort zones but also felt safe for us to build beautiful lifelong connections and become better people and leaders. The course work and guest speakers were relevant, inspiring and provided plenty of simple practical tools for us to take back and implement into our personal and professional lives. Many of which I am already using. Beautifully facilitated and genuinely transformative, the Future Leaders program strengthened my leadership, expanded my thinking and deepened my curiosity. I leave with confidence, practical tools, and friendships that will last a lifetime.
Lachlan Aird
Shaw+Smith | Adeleide Hills, SA
The Future Leaders program has been a genuinely transformative experience — both personally and professionally. I’ve come away with a deeper understanding of my own leadership, a new set of practical tools to develop it, and a renewed sense of possibility about the impact I can make in the wine community. One of the greatest gifts of the program has been the cohort itself. I now have a trusted network of 14 incredible people from across the wine industry — people I’m grateful to call friends and excited to continue collaborating with long after the program ends.
Tash Stoodley
Savvy | Adeleide Hills, SA
Future Leaders gave me the space and support to think differently about my work, my impact and the future of our sector. The conversations, coaching and cohort dynamic made the experience incredibly meaningful. It’s a program that asks a lot of you, but it gives back even more. I’m grateful to have been part of it.
Nicola Reid
Sommeliers Australia | Geelong, VIC
One of the standout strengths of the Future Leaders program is how effectively it brings together a true cross-section of the wine industry. By connecting winemakers, viticulturists, educators, marketers, and others, it sparks conversations and collaborations that rarely happen elsewhere. The program also helps you recognise leadership as a continuum rather than a position, encouraging a more expansive and inclusive understanding of what leadership can look like across the sector. It’s not just about strategic or operational capability — the program genuinely invests in empathy, emotional intelligence, resilience, and communication, which ultimately shape more grounded and self-aware leaders. Above all, Future Leaders builds confidence, a sense of belonging, and a strong sense of accountability, creating the foundations for long-term personal and professional growth. Participating in Future Leaders has been one of the most impactful experiences of my professional life. As a result, I’ve come away with stronger confidence, a clearer sense of purpose, and a profound sense of belonging within our industry. I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to grow not just as a leader, but as a human being.
Madeleine Marson
Vinea Marson | Heathcote, VIC
Summing up the glorious expanse of the Future Leaders experience is almost impossible. At a time of contraction and change in the Australian wine industry, experiences of depth such as this program are essential for understanding who we are, and who we want to be — as individuals, community and industry. From both the personal and professional, being asked to take stock and look deeper has not been without its challenges. But the supportive environment provided by both Wine Australia and the incredible practitioners from Pragmatic Thinking has made this feel safe and possible. I’ve noticed that there are myriad elements of the program I have been able to immediately implement personally and professionally. It’s been a privilege after each session to share the learnings with my team and wine community. And I have great excitement about revisiting the coursework over the coming years and seeing how different circumstances call me back to different parts of the program. The collegial aspect of the program also holds great value, with peer-to-peer learning from our 15 strong cohort a source of joy. So too the coaching support and broader connection with the Alumni network, a community I know I can draw upon in the future. The program has fundamentally articulated and changed who I am and who I want to be as a person and a leader – with clarity and great depth. I take no hesitation in recommending the program to those coming up behind the 2025 cohort – and see Future Leaders as the apex of Wine Australia’s collaborative approach to leadership training through programs such as Next Crop and Rootlings.
Brendan Hawker
Yerring Station | Yarra Valley, VIC
It is such a well-rounded program, covering the identity, science, art, and future of leadership. Future Leaders pushed us outside of our comfort zones and built an incredible toolbox of skills to go and develop further. The Future Leaders program is truly transformational. Be prepared to push your boundaries, build a toolbox of leadership skills you'll continue to hone, and gain deeper insight into your own identity. You'll emerge a better person and leader, ready to tackle our industry's challenges and confidently shape its future.
