Board Members

Denise von Wald

Chair

Denise is both a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a Certified Practising Marketer with experience in senior executive and marketing roles in the South Australian, national, and international tourism and education sectors, and a track record of innovation and creative thinking, leading to increased visitor numbers, expanded commercial relationships and greater brand recognition.

With 20 years of Non-Executive Director experience on a diverse range of Boards, Denise is a Board member of the Adelaide Economic Development Agency, Adelaide Venue Management Corporation, Festival City Adelaide and Student Accommodation Association. Denise is currently Principal and CEO of St Ann’s Residential College. Prior to this she was Tourism Australia's Regional General Manager for the United Kingdom (UK) and Northern Europe, based in London for five years, and Chief Executive of Education/Study Adelaide, the key marketing organisation promoting South Australia as an international education destination.

David Papa

Director

David is an Executive Director at Bentleys SA, leading the Business Advancement, Audit and Assurance teams and has 17 years’ experience working with many not-for-profits in South Australia as a financial accounting, audit and risk management provider. David's experience has extended to the wine and tourism sectors in varying capacities, including advisory support of the SAWIA and Bentleys Annual SA Wine Industry Snapshot.

Professor Larry Lockshin

Director

Larry is a trained viticulturist (MSc from Cornell) and marketer (PhD from Ohio State), who has spent the last 30 years working with the wine industry and a range of other major companies through the Ehrenberg Bass Institute of Marketing Science at UniSA. Larry's strengths are in strategic and people management through his work mainly at UniSA alongside his skills as a marketer. Larry has consulted for a number of wine companies here in Australia and overseas in strategy and wine marketing.

Dr. Wes Pearson

Director

Dr. Wes Pearson is a senior research scientist and sensory group manager at the Australian Wine Research Institute in Adelaide, as well as winemaker and director of Juxtaposed Wines in McLaren Vale. He holds a BSc in Wine Biochemistry from the University of British Columbia, a diploma in Applied Sensory and Consumer Science from the University of California Davis and a PhD from Charles Sturt University. He has worked in the sensory group at the AWRI since 2010 and has completed hundreds of sensory studies and authored over 25 research papers in that time. He is an alumnus of the Len Evans Tutorial and of Wine Australia’s Future Leaders program, and has completed the Australian Institute of Company Directors course.

Matthew Deller MW

Director

Matthew Deller MW is CEO for Wirra Wirra and Ashton Hills, two of Australia’s most admired wineries. Previously, Matt lived in New Zealand, most recently as Global Sales & Marketing Chief for Villa Maria and spent eight years in the USA with the iconic Robert Mondavi Winery and as Chief Operating Officer for cult Napa Valley winery TOR. Matt passed the Master of Wine exams in 2016, is now a member of the Governance Committee for the Institute of Masters of Wine, the program committee for the MW Symposium in Adelaide 2026 and the Board of Directors for the MW Endowment Company.

Berenice Axisa

Director

Berenice Axisa is a seasoned professional with over 22 years of experience in the wine industry, specialising in premium wine marketing, export strategy and brand storytelling. She holds an MSc in Wine Business from Dijon, Burgundy, the WSET Diploma from London and has recently completed the Next Crop McLaren Vale, Leadership Program. Berenice’s career includes 10 years of experience working across European markets, with hands-on involvement in vintages in Tuscany and Burgundy. Her career spans leadership roles at esteemed wineries, including Dandelion Vineyards, where she has been instrumental in driving international market growth and crafting compelling narratives that celebrate South Australian wines.

Sami Gilligan

Director

Sami is owner and operator of McLaren Vale businesses Gilligan Contracting, the Wetlands Vineyard, Flex Logistics and Pallet & Barrel. He has extensive experience in wine industry boards and committees, currently serving on the Primary Producers SA Transport Committee (as Committee Convener) and the Australian Grape & Wine Vignerons Committee. Sami has also previously served on the MVGWTA Board, Wine Grape Council of SA Board and Australian Women in Wine Advisory Board.

Megan Hender

Director

Vineyard owner and lawyer, since 2002 Megan has run management consulting business Megan Hender Consulting, working with a wide variety of organisations in SA and interstate. Megan is an experienced Board Director with a strong interest in strategy, governance and professional and enterprise risk. She was formerly a two-term elected member of the City of Adelaide, where she served for 18 months as Deputy Lord Mayor and worked closely with the Premier, Ministers and senior SA government officials. She is a member of, and has regularly presented at, the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has sat on boards and committees of significant SA organisations including the Adelaide Convention Centre, Adelaide Festival of Arts, Adelaide Central Market Authority and Adelaide Showgrounds Farmers Market.