The Wine Origins Alliance (WOA) announced that it has appointed Jacques-Olivier Pesme as its new director. Pesme assumes the role at the helm of the Alliance, a global coalition of more than 30 wine and grape-growing organizations, after extensive experience in the wine industry and work in more than 20 countries around the world.

Pesme joins the Alliance after more than 20 years of experience leading international organizations and advising key leaders and policymakers in both the public and private sector. A wine industry expert who also has held positions with the UN and the International Trade Centre, Pesme served as the Director of the Wine Research Centre at the University of British Columbia, Canada, and as Professor at the University of Adelaide, Australia. Previously, he spent 15 years at Kedge Business School in Bordeaux, France, where he positioned Kedge as a global academic leading institution in wine business.

Pesme is highly involved in wine regional development issues advising and supporting organizations and industries around the world on building a sustainable and effective grape and wine industry through world-class action research and tailor-made programs designed for wine industry leaders. He has authored and co-authored more than 100 research papers, articles, books and other publications, and regularly presents at industry conferences and proceedings.

For more information about the Wine Origins Alliance, visit www.origins.wine.