Our board
The GWRDC's Board is made up of eight non-executive directors (including the Chair and Deputy Chair), and the Executive Director. Our Directors are:
Hon. Rory McEwen - Chair
B.Ag.Sc,. Grad.Dip.Ed. Admin.,Grad.Dip.Curr.Devel., JP
Rory graduated from Adelaide University with a degree in agriculture, majoring in agronomy and plant breeding, before fulfilling his National Service obligations as a Sergeant in PNG. Back in Australia, he held a number of middle and senior management positions in the TAFE system, including as State Manager of the Rural and Horticultural program. He and his wife Diane also established a horticultural property in the South East of South Australia, growing cut flowers, cherries and lemons. Rory returned to TAFE to run the School of Rural and Timber Studies and also entered local government. He was elected as an Independent to the South Australian Parliament in 1997, and re-elected in 2002 and 2006 before retiring at the 2010 election. Rory served as a Cabinet Minister for six years and held a number of portfolios, including Minister for Agriculture, Food (including wine), Fisheries and Forestry for five years. He also chaired the South Australian Wine Industry Council and travelled in Asia and North and South America promoting Australian wine.
Mr Jim Caddy - Deputy Chair
A third generation Riverland grape grower, Jim has 35 hectares of wine grapes. With a long history in the Australian wine industry, he brings to the GWRDC Board significant experience at senior board levels. For more than ten years, he has been actively involved with the largest grower cooperative in Australia, CCW Cooperative Ltd, and is currently Chairman of the Board. He is currently a Director of the International Wine Investment Fund and is on the Board of the Phylloxera and Grape Industry Board of South Australia. He was also on the Board of the former Cooperative Research Centre for Viticulture and in a voluntary capacity, serves on a number of industry committees and reference groups.
Dr Anne-Maree Boland - Director
Partner, RMCG, B Ag Sc, PhD
Dr Boland is a Partner at RMCG and has 20 years experience in dealing with natural resource and water management in Australian agricultural industries. This has included managing national research and development programs in the areas of water use efficiency, salinity, recycled water and environmental management systems. Anne-Maree has experience in working with and establishing partnerships with diverse stakeholder groups (government, catchment management authorities, water and agricultural industries). She is a Churchill Fellow and Board member of Irrigation Australia Limited.
Dr Helen Garnett - Director
BSc (Hons), PhD, PSM, FTSE, FAICD
Dr Garnett trained as a microbiologist and her research spanned the plant, medical and environmental fields. She has led scientific research and development activities and served on many national and international science bodies. Dr Garnett is currently a Director of Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics.
Mr Terry Hill - Director
BSc Agric, M Agrib, GAICD
Mr Hill works in Horticulture Industry Development in the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia where he is involved in planning and evaluating research and development activities with industry and joint strategic approaches. He has a strong background in science and science review activities and is a former Director of Horticulture Australia Ltd.
Mr Andrew Kay - Director & Audit Committee Chair
MBA (Int. Bus), BBus (Mktg), GAICD
Mr Kay has an established commercial and marketing background having held senior positions with market leading organisations across the wine, dairy and fruit juice industries and the financial services sector. His business experience spans domestic and international markets, having lived and worked in the United Kingdom and Europe as part of the Australian wine industry. He is currently Managing Director of Wirra Wirra Vineyards, McLaren Vale, sits on the Board of the McLaren Vale Grape Wine and Tourism Association (MVGWTA) and the AWBC Market Development Advisory Committee (MDAC).
Dr Terry Lee OAM - Director
BSc, PhD, FAIST, FTSE
A wine industry consultant based in the Barossa Valley, Terry graduated with a BSc and PhD from The University of New South Wales' Department of Food Science and Technology before undertaking post doctoral studies in food science at the University of California, Davis. He has a 12-year academic career at The University of New South Wales, followed by 14 years as the Director of The Australian Wine Research Institute (1983 - 1997) and also Professor of Oenology in The University of Adelaide's Department of Horticulture, Viticulture and Oenology (1990 -1997) before working as Vice-President and Chief Scientific Officer of E&J Gallo Winery in the United States for seven years. He is currently a member of the Innovation Policy Committee of the Winemakers' Federation of Australia, a member of the Board of Provisor Pty Ltd and Chairman of The University of Adelaide's Wine Advisory Board.
Ms Mary Retallack - Director
B App Sc, P Grad Dip (NRM), BEd, Grad Dip (Viti), CPAg, GAICD
Mary is a third generation viticulturist with expertise in all levels of the Australian wine industry which has been honed over the past 15 years in a range of technical, vineyard management, consultancy, training and extension roles. Mary is currently Managing Director of Retallack Viticulture which offers a broad range of viticultural consulting services throughout Australia. Mary is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors Course, a Fellow of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation (ARLP Course 15) and a past participant of the Future Leaders- Succession for the Australian Wine Sector Program.
Dr John Harvey - Executive Director
PhD, MBA, BSc (Hons) GAICD
A graduate from The University of Adelaide, John gained his PhD in medical research before joining CSIRO and undertaking research into aspects of viticultural production prior to his initial appointment at GWRDC in January 2003 as R&D Project Manager. He was appointed Executive Director of GWRDC in May, 2007.
