Chair of the Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) Board, Louisa Rose, has announced the appointment of Dr Mark Krstic as the new Managing Director of the AWRI, effective 1 February 2020. Dr Krstic will succeed Dr Dan Johnson, who has led the AWRI since 2011 and is taking up a new position as Pro Vice Chancellor Research Innovation at Macquarie University in Sydney.
When making the announcement Ms Rose commented “The AWRI Board conducted a global search for the new Managing Director and was very pleased with the high calibre of applications received.”
“Dr Krstic was the stand-out candidate due to his wealth of experience in grape and wine research, knowledge of the wine industry and outstanding leadership and commercial business skills. Dr Krstic combines a research background in viticulture and oenology with deep understanding of the issues facing Australian grape and wine producers. His connections and experience will be invaluable as the AWRI embraces a changing research, development and extension (RD&E) landscape and he will be an outstanding leader for the Australian grape and wine industry’s research organisation.”
“While maintaining a focus on the AWRI’s core areas of strength, Dr Krstic’s strong viticultural background aligns well with the ‘grape to consumer’ direction that the AWRI Board has been working towards in recent years and views as a focus for research and collaboration into the future.”
In accepting the role, Dr Krstic said “The opportunity to lead the AWRI is both humbling and exciting. At a time where our industry is facing incredible opportunities and challenges, the importance of world-class grape and wine science and a strong technical support base to help Australian grape and wine producers succeed cannot be overstated.”
“The AWRI is a unique organisation filled with talented people working with Australian Grape & Wine, Wine Australia, state and regional bodies, investors, collaborators, producers, suppliers and other organisations to support a prosperous and sustainable Australian grape and wine industry. It will be an honour to lead such a wonderful team.”
Dr Krstic comes to the Managing Director position from a role as General Manager Business Development at the AWRI.
