Laura Jewell MW appointed Regional Director for the UK and Europe

Andreas Clark, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Grape and Wine Authority (AGWA) has announced Laura Jewell MW has been appointed Wine Australia’s Regional Director for the UK and Europe, and will commence on 23 February 2015.

Clark said, 'Laura is well-known and highly regarded by her peers in the wine trade community. The UK remains our largest export market and Laura will be a strong advocate for Australian wine, leading our team in London and driving efforts to maintain our market share and remain competitive. This appointment is fantastic news for Australian wine.'

Jewell said 'I’ve dedicated my career to wine and worked across many different parts of the value chain. I’ve always found Australian wine to be of consistently high quality and the diversity of Australia’s 65 wine regions is an incredibly exciting story to tell.

'I can’t wait to get started and work with Australian wine brands and exporters on a calendar of innovative events and initiatives for local trade and consumers that builds on the solid reputation that Australian wine already has in the UK and European markets.'

Jewell is currently Category Product Development Manager—Wine at Tesco where she oversees its wine portfolio in 11 markets. With close to 25 years’ experience in the sector and a Master of Wine qualification attained in 1997, Jewell brings significant commercial experience complemented by in-depth wine knowledge.

Jewell’s appointment follows the recent appointment of Stuart Barclay to the role of General Manager, Market Development.