Which recent ESG initiative or improvement at Australian Vintage are you most proud of?
Achieving our 2030 water efficiency goal five years ahead of schedule was a significant milestone in our ten-year Environmental Sustainability Strategy. It reflects real, sustained effort across our operations teams; not a one-time project, but years of cross-functional discipline working toward a shared target.
What do you believe is the biggest ESG challenge facing the drinks industry today?
Navigating a landscape where stakeholder expectations, reporting requirements and voluntary frameworks are evolving faster than they’re converging. Companies are being asked for greater transparency and stronger performance at the same time, but the lack of consistency across schemes can pull resources away from the work that creates the most meaningful impact.
Greater alignment across frameworks would help the whole industry move faster, measure more clearly and invest with confidence.
What advice would you give to companies looking to strengthen their ESG performance?
Start with an honest assessment. Be clear-eyed about where you’re performing well, where gaps exist and where the business has the greatest opportunity to improve.
Strong ESG performance is built on good data, internal accountability and the discipline to prioritise real action over ambitious aspiration.
Heaven Hill’s ‘Spirited Neighbor Initiative’ won Social Achievement of the Year at the Global Drinks Intel ESG Awards in 2025. How did winning this award influence your approach?
Awards aren’t why we do this work; our focus is on building a more resilient, responsible business for the long term. That said, external recognition does matter. It validates the effort that often happens quietly behind the scenes and helps reinforce momentum internally.
It’s genuinely encouraging for our teams to know that steady, practical progress is being noticed beyond our own walls.
