WOSA CEO SU BIRCH WINS TOP INTERNATIONAL HONOUR FOR ROLE IN SA WINE INDUSTRY SUSTAINABILITY
Afrikaans volg onder.
Wines of South Africa (WOSA) CEO Su Birch has been lauded by the international drinks fraternity for her role in promoting sustainability in the South African wine industry, winning the 2013 The Drinks Business Green Awards Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Drinks Business is a UK-based publication with an international readership amongst drinks industry leaders. Its Lifetime Achievement Green Award is the highest annual honour it bestows in what it bills as "the world`s largest programme to raise awareness of green issues in the drinks trade and recognise and reward those who are leading the way in sustainability and environmental performance."
Birch, who has been WOSA CEO since 2000, emerged the winner at a London event yesterday (April 23, 2013) for having dedicated a significant part of her working life to "environmental and/or ethical causes" and was acknowledged for her significant role in both areas.
She is also a former winner of both The Drinks Business Woman of the Year and the International Wine and Spirit Competition`s Women in Wine Award, and last year was identified as one of the ten most influential personalities in the world of wine by UK market analysts Wine Intelligence.
Birch has played a key role in advancing South Africa`s reputation as one of the most progressive amongst wine-producing nations in driving eco-sustainable wine production. Under the banner "variety is in our nature" she has actively promoted the country`s competitive positioning in producing a rich variety of wine styles. She is also credited with spearheading South Africa`s far-reaching Biodiversity & Wine Initiative (BWI) that has seen producers set aside substantially more land for conservation than the equivalent of the national vineyard.
She has been one of the major advocates of the country`s Sustainability Seal, the first industry-wide initiative of its kind anywhere in the world, to promote production integrity from the vineyard to the consumer. This was followed by the introduction last year of an Ethical Seal, also the first of its kind, that confirms the implementation of fair labour practices by wine producers.
At an international level she has also been one of the key drivers for co-operation amongst normally competing New World wine-producing countries, playing an important part in bringing South Africa, New Zealand, the US, Chile and Argentina together at the annual international trade fair ProWein, where the countries annually present a collective showcase.
The Beautiful South is an extension of this approach in which Argentina, Chile and South Africa will present their first combined trade exhibition in the UK in September. She has been a prime mover in its conception and organisation.
Birch says the exhibition in London will be her WOSA swansong as she plans to leave the organisation soon after to pursue a personal project that, she says, she has been deferring for "too long".
"The lifetime achievement is a high note on which to announce my plan to leave WOSA later this year. I shall be leaving the organisation with a sound international team in place at the same time that the country has evolved into a significant player in world wine markets, well on its way to capturing and building on new opportunities."
She said a search for a successor was to be conducted as a priority over the coming weeks. She will remain in her position till the end of September. This is both to hand over to the new incumbent and to allow her to oversee The Beautiful South.
After a brief "sabbatical", Birch plans to focus on the development of cost-effective marketing solutions for a range of industries. "Rising costs and a volatile exchange rate are forcing South Africans to work smarter and with greater agility in order to be heard in an increasingly competitive environment, whether locally or internationally. Working to very tight budgets demands stringent discipline but also encourages creative problem-solving. This is where I believe I can play a meaningful role."
DATE APRIL 24, 2013
ISSUED BY DKC (DE KOCK COMMUNICATIONS)
ON BEHALF OF WOSA
QUERIES SU BIRCH, CEO, WOSA (021) 8833860, 082 563 0677
TESSA DE KOCK/MARLISE POTGIETER, DKC (021) 422 2690, 082 579 2358
WOSA SE SU BIRCH INTERNASIONAAL VEREER MET TOPTOEKENNING
Su Birch, die uitvoerende hoof van Wines of South Africa (WOSA), is pas deur The drinks Business vir haar rol in die bevordering van die volhoubaarheid van die Suid-Afrikaanse wynbedryf bekroon met sy Green Awards Lifetime Achievement Award vir 2013.
The Drinks Business is `n gesaghebbende publikasie in die VK wat leiers in die internasionale drankbedryf onder sy lesers tel. Sy toekenning vir lewenslange "groen" prestasie is die hoogte eer wat hy jaarliks toeken aan diegene wat hy meen aan die spits daarvan staan om bewustheid van onder meer volhoubaarheid en omgewingsorg in die drankbedryf aan te wakker.
Birch is sedert 2000 WOSA se uitvoerende hoof. Sy is gister (23 April) in Londen as die wenner van dié toekenning aangewys omdat sy `n beduidende deel van haar werklewe aan "omgewings- en/of etiese aangeleenthede" toegewy het en erkenning vir haar betekenisvolle rol op albei terreine geniet.
Sy is `n gewese wenner van sowel The Drink Business se Vrou van die Jaar- as die International Wine and Spirit Competition se Vroue in Wyn-toekenning. Verlede jaar het Wine Intelligence, ? markontledersonderneming in die VK, haar as een van die tien mees invloedryke persoonlikhede in die internasionale wynwêreld aangewys.
Birch het `n sleutelrol gespeel om Suid-Afrika se reputasie as een van die mees progressiewe wynproduserende lande ten opsigte van ekovolhoubare wynproduksie te vestig. Onder die vaandel "verskeidenheid is in ons aard" het sy die land se mededingingsposisie danksy die ryke verskeidenheid van wynstyle wat hy voortbring, aktief bevorder. Sy kry ook lof vir haar baanbrekerswerk rakende Suid-Afrika se verreikende Biodiversiteit & Wyn-inisiatief (BWI), wat gesorg het dat produsente aansienlik meer grond as die ekwivalent van die nasionale wingerd vir bewaring opsy gesit het.
Sy was een van die groot voorstanders van die land se volhoubaarheidseël, die eerste inisiatief van dié aard in die internasionale wynwêreld om produksie-integriteit van die wingerd tot die verbruiker te bevorder. Verlede jaar is dit opgevolg met die instelling van `n etiek-seël, ook die eerste ter wêreld, wat bevestig dat wynprodusente hulle aan etiese arbeidspraktyke hou.
Sy was een van die groot dryfvere agter samewerking onder wynproduserende lande in die Nuwe Wêreld wat gewoonlik met mekaar meeding. Sy het `n belangrike rol gespeel om Suid-Afrika, Nieu-Seeland, die VSA, Chili en Argentinië by die jaarlikse internasionale handelsuitstalling ProWein saam te snoer. Dié lande het daar `n gesamentlike toonkas aangebied. The Beautiful South is `n uitbreiding van dié benadering, waar Argentinië, Chili en Suid-Afrika in September hul eerste gesamentlike handelsuitstalling in die VK sal aanbied. Sy was `n sterk dryfkrag wat dié uitstalling bedink en gereël het.
Birch het gesê die uitstalling in Londen sal haar WOSA-swanesang wees. Sy beoog om die organisasie kort ná afloop daarvan te verlaat om `n persoonlike projek te inisieer. Volgens haar het sy dié "reeds te lank uitgestel".
"Die toekenning vir lewenslange prestasie is `n hoogtepunt voordat ek WOSA later vanjaar verlaat. Ek laat na ? organisasie met `n sterk internasionale span, juis noudat die land `n beduidende deelnemer in die wêreld se wynmarkte geword het, en goed op pad is om nuwe geleenthede aan te gryp en uit te bou."
Sy het gesê die soeke na `n opvolger gaan in die volgende weke voorrang geniet. Sy sal tot einde September in haar pos bly sodat sy die teuels aan die nuwe bekleër kan oorhandig, en haar aandag aan The Beautiful South kan skenk.
Ná `n kort sabbatsverlof wil Birch haar aandag aan koste-effektiewe bemarkingsoplossings vir verskeie bedrywe skenk. "Stygende koste en `n onbestendige wisselkoers dwing Suid-Afrikaners om knapper en behendiger te werk te gaan om in `n al mededingender plaaslike en internasionale omgewing mee te ding. ? Beperkte begroting vereis streng dissipline, maar moedig ook skeppende probleemoplossing aan. Ek glo ek kan hierin `n betekenisvolle rol speel."
DATUM 24 APRIL 2013
UITGEREIK DEUR DKC (DE KOCK KOMMUNIKASIE)
NAMENS WOSA
NAVRAE SU BIRCH, UITOERENDE HOOF, WOSA (021) 883-3860 of (082) 563-0677
TESSA DE KOCK/MARLISE POTGIETER, DKC (021) 422-2690 of (082) 579-2358