Wine Leaders Forum
Since 2014, the Wine Leaders Forum has brought British Columbia winery owners, principals and winemakers together with international wine experts.
Through the Wine Leaders Forum, we aim to foster an environment for free expression where relationships can progress, facilitated by shared knowledge, applied research and understanding.
In a retreat-style setting, we explore and address strategic challenges facing the wine region, translating our work together into concrete actions.
The forum was created for current and next generation winery owners, principals, and winemakers to share and learn about best practices in BC and elsewhere; address the challenges for an emerging wine territory; and determine the steps for BC to succeed.
“This work is essential, if we’re going to drive our industry forward. We need to know who we are, we need to know where we’re going, and we need to know how we present ourselves to the rest of the world.”
– Mark Holford, Rocky Creek Winery, Duncan identity workshop and past Wine Leaders Forum participant
About the Facilitators
Since 2012 we have been designing interactive forums to bring together leaders in the wine industry to create opportunities for strategic conversations and creative thinking on key issues in the wine industry. This forum is a unique opportunity for meaningful peer-to-peer engagement with a focus on uncovering new thinking about wine that feeds into innovations that move the industry forward. Our team bring their extensive industry, teaching, and research expertise to the forum so each participant can engage in a cooperative spirit, gaining rich new insights and learning about the wine industry.
Dr. Jacques-Olivier Pesme
Director, Wine Research Centre
Dr. Roger Sugden
Dean, Faculty of Management
Marcela Valania
Faculty of Management
Dr. Malida Mooken
Faculty of Management
2022 UBC Wine Leaders Forum in Napa Valley – Registration Now Open! November 29th to December 2nd, 2022 | Napa Valley, USA
Since 2014, we have been hosting the annual UBC Wine Leaders Forum: a multi-day in-person retreat for winery owners and winemakers from British Columbia to explore the strategic issues facing the territory’s development, and to define a set of actions. We were unable to come together in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID, but we are back in 2022.
Registration for the 7th edition of the Wine Leaders Forum, November 29th to December 2nd in Napa Valley, is now open! Wine Leaders Forum program Late afternoon on Tuesday 29th of November to late afternoon on Friday 2nd of December. We will explore the lessons of Napa’s development, what being a sustainable winery entails, what it means to be an iconic wine, and farm worker health and housing. There will be wine tastings, and wine-food pairings.
The Forum features sessions at Cakebread and Opus One wineries, Napa Valley Vintners, Ole Health, Farm Worker Housing Centre, and the Culinary Institute of America. Join us for the Forum in Napa with industry colleagues.
Who should attend: Current and next generation winery owners, principals, and winemakers. Participants cover their own travel to/from Napa, accommodation, and subsistence – we have arranged preferential hotel rates in Napa Valley.
Photograph: Napa Valley, 2022, © Roger Sugden
Wine Leaders Forum 2022
The next edition of the Forum will be held in Napa, November 29th to December 2nd, 2022.
Interested in participating?
Please contact:
Alicia Belmont
SE-Change and WRC (Wine Research Centre) Administrative and Communications Assistant
alicia.belmont@ubc.ca
