Margaret River Wine Association appoints independent Chair

Margaret River Wine Association appoints Barry House as their independent Chairperson, effective immediately.

The move from voluntary president to independent chair follows unanimous support from the Board.

Barry House is a highly experienced local who represented the Margaret River region in the West Australian parliament for 30 years.  He was the President of the Legislative Council from 2009-2017 and recently retired from parliament.  He has a great knowledge and passion for the South West and is looking forward to working closely with the Margaret River wine community.
 
The Board feel Barry’s connection to the region and proven ability to work collaboratively will stand MRWA in an excellent position to improve the effectiveness of the board, increase stakeholder and member engagement and position Margaret River wine as one of the world’s most compelling regional fine wine experiences.
 
Co-chair, Cath Oates said “For some time I have advocated a change from a reliance on a volunteer President to utilising the services of an experienced, independent Chairperson.  This change will ensure the Margaret River Wine Association maintains integrity and relevance to all members and there is appropriate governance commensurate with the increased financial requirements and resulting expectations.”
 
Barry will join the Board effective immediately and will Co-Chair until the AGM on October 11, 2017, when his role will be formalised. Cath Oates plans to continue as a Board member working on strategically important projects, including the 50^th anniversary events and regional sustainability.
 
Nominations for the MRWA Board are open now until September 22, 2017.