National Board
WCA is governed by a National Board, whose members are elected by the WCA members at the Annual General Meeting held in November of each year and are drawn from each of the States in which WCA has a Chapter (New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria).
Our current Board Members are:
Lynda held the role of Executive Officer (EO) for Wine Communicators of Australia between August 2016-2020 where she was instrumental in developing the inaugural Wine Industry Mentor Program partnership with The University of Adelaide, re-invigorating the Wine Media Cadetship for aspiring young people in the field of wine media and communications and bringing the Wine Media Conference to Australia.
Lynda left Wine Communicators of Australia’s EO position to focus her attention on her Outsource Marketing Consultancy business, Purple Giraffe, founded in 2014.
Lynda is the winner of the Fabulous Ladies of Wine, 2018 Wine Marketer of the Year and a 2019 Telstra Business Woman of the Year, Small Business Category Finalist.
Alex is the CEO and Founder of Smile Marketing, a growth marketing services business which provides end-to-end project management, marketing strategy development, digital marketing, social media, design, event management and customer experience programs.
Alex’s work is focused on consumer and service-based brands in wine, beer, agribusiness, technology and financial services. He also works in the trade and investment space in major export markets including USA, UK, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Vietnam, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. and other emerging markets.
He has had significant involvement working with government and the private sector on such national and regional challenges as Productivity, Leadership, Innovation and Strategic Growth.
More specifically his work lies across multiple facets of wine businesses, from business resetting, planning and mentoring, to brand creation and marketing, to multi-channel sales and distribution planning (domestic and international), to assessing wine styles and blends and coordinating operational requirements accordingly.
James holds a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) degree from Monash University and a Diploma (Wine Marketing) from Roseworthy Agricultural College. More recently he successfully completed the WSET Level 3 Award in Wines in 2022 (with merit) and the Advanced Wine Assessment Program at the AWRI in 2021.
James has been a member of regional committees including Langhorne Creek and the Pyrenees.
Kate is admitted to the State Bars in California and New York, as well as the South Australian Bar and the Australian High Court. She relocated to the Australian market in 2020 and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
A passionate supporter of industry education, Rob and Tucker Seabrook established the Australian operations for the Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) in 1991 and today is an Australian Ambassador for the world’s largest wine & spirit education organisation – the UK based Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) – plus also working with the Oceania Board of the highly respected worldwide Court of Master Sommeliers.
Rob was awarded an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) in January 2024 for his service to oenology, and to industry associations.
A Roseworthy Wine Marketing graduate and Future Leaders alumni, Shirley is a member of the Australian Women in Wine Advisory Board and on the committee for AWITC 2025 planning / social.
Shirley is focused to build connections in the wine sector in their routes to market as either producer or supplier to achieve sustainable success, together.
Andrew has been in key leadership positions with the Endeavour Group for the last 7+ years, encompassing roles across Fine Wine buying, pricing, promotions and eCommerce.
Previously, Andrew spent time at the Coles Liquor Group in Category Management and Business Transformation roles and with KPMG as a Manager in the Management Consulting practice.
Annabel previously worked at BGWA, Wine Australia, PIRSA, Adelaide Hills Regional Development and a number of wineries, always looking for ways of creating value and “wow” experiences for wine drinkers, guests and visitors and helping the wineries to deliver these.
Annabel studied Wine Marketing at Roseworthy Agricultural College in the 1980’s, completed an MBA, majoring in strategic marketing, graduating in 2000 and recently achieved a career goal of being awarded the WSET Diploma in Wine. She also led the BGWA team that received the Wine Communicator of the Year 2019, as well as Best Wine PR Campaign and Best Wine Website at the Wine Communicators of Australia Awards in November 2019.
Currently consulting in the field of wine export & marketing for Purple Feet (co-owner). For five years from October 2020 to September 2025, Liz was with Hydra Consulting as Project Lead for “WA Wines to the World” – an industry led and state government supported program aimed at supporting export growth for Western Australian wines.
Liz has also been a facilitator for Wine Australia’s Growing Wine Exports workshop program; and sessional lecturer at Curtin University (Margaret River Education Campus) developing and delivering a Wine Marketing & Business unit.
The 2015 vintage welcomed Katherine into the Brown Brothers winemaking team, making her mark as the first female winemaker in the four generations of the Brown family. Outside the busy vintage period, Katherine works as the family Brand Ambassador for the business in an export and domestic capacity.
Katherine also plays a role in the greater wine industry, sitting on the Victorian Government Wine Ministerial Advisory Committee. Katherine works closely with other next generation wine families through ‘Australia’s First Families of Wine’ as the vice-chair of the Next Generation Committee, acting with the aim to maintain longevity and success of family-owned wine business.
Named WCA Wine Communicator of the Year in 2021 and recipient of multiple WCA awards, she brings her passion for storytelling, deep industry knowledge, an excellent palate, and her willingness to support emerging communicators. Katie’s presence reinforces WCA’s dedication to celebrating and supporting excellence in professional wine communication.
Angela’s deep knowledge of financial reporting, compliance and governance ensures WCA maintains strong financial stewardship, supporting its mission to champion excellence in wine communication across Australia.
WCA Emeritus Patron
James Halliday AM is our Emeritus Patron and a WCA Life Member.
He was named Patron of the Wine Press Club of NSW in 2006, succeeding the original Patron, Len Evans AO OBE. A past President of the NSW club, James continued in the role when the national body, Wine Communicators of Australia, was formed. That same year he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM).
In 2025, James received the Institute of Masters of Wine Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising his substantial global contribution to wine as well as his vision, determination and innovation. As Patrick Schmitt MW observed, “no mention of Australian wine quality seems complete without his opinion.”
Across more than 55 years, James has shaped the Australian wine industry as a writer, critic, winemaker and judge, mentoring generations and elevating Australian wine internationally. He co‑founded Brokenwood Wines in 1970 and Coldstream Hills in 1985, and has chaired major wine judging panels worldwide. His other accolades include the International Wine Challenge (IWC) Lifetime Achievement Award (2024), the Saltram Australian Wine Communicator Award (2005), the Maurice O’Shea Award (1995), Wine Spectator Book of the Year (1994), Gold Award at the World Food Media Awards, Best Multimedia Lifestyle Product at Australian Industry Multimedia Awards, Julia Child award for Best Wine, Spirits or Beer Book (1994), two James Beard Awards (1993, 1994) and Charles Heidsieck Award for Excellence in Wine Journalism (1983). Since 1979 he has authored or contributed to over 80 books, and his Annual Wine Companion, launched in 1986, remains a definitive guide to Australian wine.
JAMES HALLIDAY AM
