2026 Australian Women in Wine National Symposium
Description
Join the Australian Women in Wine Symposium 2026 in Melbourne on 15 September—an inspiring day of insights, connection and practical action for the future of our industry.
Under the theme Rising Together – Shaping What Comes Next, hear from leaders across the wine sector, gain fresh perspectives and build valuable networks.
Don’t miss this opportunity to grow, connect and help shape what comes next.
Secure your ticket today.
Agenda
- 8:30 am
Registration & Welcome Coffee
Check-in, collect your badge, and enjoy light refreshments.
- 9:00 am
Opening SESSION: Rising together
Welcome from our host Corrina Wright and an overview of the day. Welcome to Country | Presentation from Presenting Partner Global Victoria Major Sponsor PLUMM Glassware address
- 9:30 am
SESSION ONE: Rising to Lead: Pathways to Leadership
Sponsored by Stanton & Stanton Explores how leaders are built — from founding and growing a business to navigating leadership within a family enterprise. Building Beyond: Lessons in Leadership and Growth; Family, Business, Leadership: Navigating the Succession Path KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Carolyn Creswell, Carman’s Kitchen. Panel with Lea Boyce and Olivia Barrie with Corrina Wright
- 11:15 am
SESSION TWO: Changing the Landscape: Equity, Flexibility and Culture in Practice
Sponsored by Wine Australia Tracks a year of progress on the Gender Equity Toolkit, drawing on lessons in flexibility and inclusion from within and beyond the industry. One Year of the Gender Equity Toolkit; From Awareness to Action; Lessons on Flexibility and Inclusion from Film and TV; Family Leave in Practice; Questions, Insights and Ideas SPEAKERS: Jo Hargreaves, Emily Hay, Racheal Rauch, David Bowley, Sarah Marrocco
- 12:40 pm
Networking Lunch
Connect with peers, exchange ideas, and build meaningful relationships.
- 1:30 pm
SESSION THREE: Building the Blueprint: Careers Built to Last
Sponsored by Penfolds A forward-facing look at what it takes to build a lasting career in wine — across management, production, media including integrating AI. Evolution of the Mindset in Production; Rewriting the Role: Media and Communications Careers in Wine; Careers That Don't Follow the Rules; Challenging the Norms; Questions, Insights and Ideas as we evolve our career journeys. SPEAKERS: Jill Bauer, Jess Clark, Tim Dexter, Mel Gilcrist, Imogen Gardiner and more to come...
- 3:10 pm
SESSION FOUR: Rising Within: Making Meaning, Creating the Conditions for Flourishing
Sponsored by Adelaide University An interactive session on meaning, resilience and personal navigation through change and transition. Creating the Conditions for Flourishing. Get back in the driver's seat. Making meaning from the experiences in our lives, the positive, the negative and everything in between. No unicorns and rainbows here, just hardcore science and real positive impact. KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Mel Neil
- 4:30 pm
Closing SESSION
Key takeaways and final reflections to close the day. We’ve heard how we evolve, adapt, and collaborate, so how we challenge the future and next steps to keep the momentum going. Closing Plumm Glassware and Global Victoria
- 5:00 pm
Networking Reception
Wrap up the day with connections, conversations, and light bites. BYO Bottle of wine to showcase amazing women made or owned wines from Australia
FAQs
- Where can I stay?
We are not aligned with any specific accommodation provider.
However, there are ample options close to the venue, in the CBD or St Kilda.
The Pullman is directly across the road
The Oaks is one block away and affordable
- BYO Wine - what should I bring? Why?
We have arranged with the venue for corkage to enable a showcase of the diversity of women made or owned wines from across Australia. We would love you to bring a bottle of your favourite Aussie wine to share with others.
On the day, bring at registration and we will add whites/sparklings to the fridge.
PLUMM glassware will be used to maximise our experience
Description
“Rising together – shaping what comes next”
As Australian Women in Wine begin our second decade with a new not for profit structure and Board, we remain dedicated to the goals and activities of providing targeted mentoring, education, professional development, networking, scholarships, research and advocacy and support women’s participation, advancement and inclusion in the Australian grape and wine industry.
To achieve these goals we know we need to adapt, evolve and continue to challenge and collaborate if we are to Rise Together and Shape what comes next.
The 2026 Symposium "Rising together - Shaping what comes next" will be of a similar format to our previous successful symposiums. During the 2026 symposium we will feature several different sessions, with speakers and facilitators from both inside and outside the industry. The sessions will focus on how gender diversity makes good business sense for our wine sector at Industry, Business, Career / Leadership and Personal levels. A dedicated networking drinks session will follow, where we encourage you to bring a bottle of your favourite wine from an Australian based female owner and/or winemaker. We welcome attendance by all genders.
Both our 2024 and 2023 Symposiums sold out weeks before the event, so get your tickets now.
We have been able to keep our pricing at the 2024 levels thanks, in part, to the generous support of our Major Sponsor PLUMM Glassware and our session sponsors, Stanton & Stanton, Wine Australia, Adelaide University and Penfolds Evermore.
Our Presenting partner is Global Victoria who welcome us to their state and host these critical discussions on diversity, equity and inclusion.
There may be a potential for a casual dinner event, the Monday night before the symposium, so please tell us if you'd be interested in attending such an event (at a separate cost) when you check out your symposium ticket(s).
On check out, we'd love to capture how diverse our audience is, so some optional questions will be asked - up to you if you have time to answer but this will help us keep shaping what comes next. Thanks from the AWIW crew.
Lineup
Carolyn Creswell
Carolyn Creswell is an inspirational leader whose success proves that you can run a multinational business, love what you do and have a genuine work-life balance. As an 18-year-old university student, Carolyn Creswell founded Carman's in 1992. She bought the tiny business for $1,000. At the end of 2022 Carman's will proudly celebrate its 30th birthday and is Australia's number one selling muesli brand along with being a leader of deliciously good for you bars and nutritional snacks. From humble beginnings where Carolyn used to park her tiny Daewoo alongside semi-trailers in supermarket loading docks, Carolyn's determination and focus on producing quality products using whole foods, has seen Carman's build a strong following in more than 30 countries around the world. Carolyn's passion for healthy food made from real ingredients has cemented Carman's reputation as a food brand that customers around the world can trust to be natural, healthy and delicious. As a proud mother of four children aged 18 and under, Carolyn understands the importance of producing nourishing foods for herself and her family and applies this to every Carman's recipe. Current Work: Calling the Carman's staff her “second family”, Carolyn put them at forefront of her mind when designing the new office that the business moved into in 2018. Now one of Australia's most enviable working spaces, Carman's HQ offers its employees access to a gym, yoga studio, sauna and massage room, free barista-made coffee and on-site chef. Carolyn has also loved extending the space to the public, via the Carman's Kitchen Store, and other businesses, with conference facilities and meeting rooms for hire. Carolyn's business acumen has led to a number of accolades including the winner of 2007 Ernst & Young's Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and being named the 2012 Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year. She is also a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. As Carolyn looks to the future “I'm amazed at the achievements of Carman's thanks to our loyal consumers. The growth we've experienced is thanks to hard work, a talented team and a range of products that we're really proud of and that people love to eat. I'm looking forward to seeing what we can achieve in the next thirty years!
Mel Neil
Session One - Lea Boyce
Pathways to leadership: Navigating the succession path
Session One - Olivia Barrie
Pathways to leadership: Navigating the succession path
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
