Wine industry identity receives leadership award

Media Release July 24, 2009

Wine industry identity receives 2009 leadership award

Leading wine industry figure Robert Hill Smith has received the 2009 Rabobank Leadership Award in recognition of his contribution to Australasia’s food, beverage and agribusiness industries.

Mr Hill Smith, the proprietor and Managing Director of the Yalumba Wine Company, is one of Australia’s most successful wine industry leaders and entrepreneurs. Announcing the award winner at the annual Rabobank Leadership Dinner in Sydney last night, Rabobank CEO Bruce Dick said the success of Yalumba Wine Company in the competitive global market was testament to Mr Hill Smith’s exceptional leadership skills. “Under Robert Hill Smith’s stewardship, Yalumba Wine Company had emerged as one of Australia’s greatest wine industry success stories,” Mr Dick told an audience of Australian and New Zealand agribusiness leaders.

“Robert’s leadership and foresight has overseen an era of innovation and growth that has taken Yalumba from a solid family business operation into a significant, progressive international success.”

“In doing so – and through his tireless efforts as a champion of quality Australian and New Zealand wine – Robert has played an instrumental leadership role in positioning this region’s fine wines on the world stage and contributing to the international growth of our wine industries.”

A fifth generation descendant of Samuel Smith, who founded Yalumba in 1849, Mr Hill Smith joined the family business in 1975, working in the vineyards and the vintage cellar laboratory. After travelling overseas to do harvest work in the vineyards of Europe he returned to Yalumba in 1979 and moved into field sales.

Later he assumed responsibility for exports, mapping an international strategy for the company brands and, soon after, as Marketing Manager, began moulding a new fine wine philosophy and brand strategy for the business.

Mr Hill Smith was appointed Managing Director of Yalumba in 1985 and in 1989, along with his brother Sam, bought the full shareholding in the company, ensuring it continued under family ownership.

Mr Dick said, under Robert Hill Smith’s direction, Yalumba had consistently produced a range of quality innovations that had enabled broad portfolio growth and earned a reputation for being at the forefront of viticultural knowledge and a leader in the development of viognier and riesling.

Along with the South Australian Barossa-based winery, Yalumba, the business’s operations now encompass Nautilus Estate in New Zealand’s Marlborough, Voss Vineyards in the USA’s Napa Valley, Jansz Tasmania in the Pipers River region of Tasmania and Smith & Hooper Vineyard in South Australia’s Wrattonbully region, along with a multi-faceted wine distribution business Negociants Australia and the Yalumba Nursery, one of Australia’s largest commercial viticultural nurseries. Mr Hill Smith said he was “both honoured and humbled” to receive the award and paid tribute to previous winners.

“It is very humbling to join these peers in the food and agribusiness industries of Australia and New Zealand. They are people who have contributed an enormous amount to Australia and New Zealand and are universally respected in these industries,” he said.

Mr Hill Smith said while he had received the award, the accolade was deserved by all at Yalumba. “For us in coming into our 160th year, it’s doubly rewarding. We can all join in the celebrations as it’s something which reflects on the whole company, even though I’m the one being given the accolade,” he said.

Mr Dick said in addition to Robert Hill Smith’s business interests, he also demonstrated a strong commitment to community leadership. Patron of the charity Time for Kids, Mr Hill Smith also takes an active role in wildlife conservation, the promotion of recycling and the reduction of greenhouse emissions.

He is also a board member of the Market Development Advisory Council (MDAC), the Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA ) and the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA ).

The Rabobank Leadership Award is a key recognition of achievement in – and contribution to – Australia and New Zealand’s food, beverage and agribusiness industries. Past winners of the annual award include agribusiness leaders Nick Burton Taylor, Max Ould and John Watson. The Raboank Leadership Dinner was held at the Art Gallery of NSW. Keynote speaker was Tony Froggatt, former director general of Cinzano Group and CEO of Scottish and Newcastle PLC.

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