Wine Council of Ontario names new President

NIAGARA, ON, Oct. 22, 2014 /CNW/ - The Wine Council of Ontario is pleased to announce that Richard Linley will be taking over the helm as President of the non-profit trade association, which represents VQA wineries from Ontario across the province.

Richard previously served as Senior Director, Government Affairs at the Canadian Beverage Association (CBA) where he had national responsibility for the development and execution of government relations strategies in the areas of legislative and regulatory affairs. Prior to joining the CBA, Richard spent over seven years working in politics with the Ontario government. He was directly responsible for advising Members of Parliament and Cabinet Ministers on policy developments at the Ministries of Agriculture and Food, Natural Resources and Environment. Richard holds a Master of Public Policy from Simon Fraser University and a Bachelor of Political Science from the University of Ottawa. 

Richard will be officially in his position as of November 24, 2014.

"Richard's extensive knowledge of the Canadian beverage industry and strong understanding of the public policy environment make him an incredible asset for this organization," said Allan Schmidt, Chair of the Wine Council of Ontario.

"We look forward to leveraging Richard's significant skills in order to build on our industry's growth and success of recent years," added Schmidt.

The Wine Council of Ontario (WCO) is the champion of Ontario's high quality, authentically local Vintner's Quality Alliance (VQA) wines and of promoting wine country as a destination.  As a non-profit trade association, the WCO represents VQA wineries from across the province, including the designated viticulture areas of the Niagara Peninsula, Prince Edward County and Lake Erie North Shore, in addition to other wineries in emerging new regions.  Our members are grape growers, manufacturers and leaders in tourism in their communities. We are the future of Ontario's wine industry, which is a source of new investment, jobs and award-winning wines. The Wine Council of Ontario's role is to promote Ontario VQA wines and vintners, support the production of excellent local wines valued at home and abroad, and build on the substantial economic benefits that the VQA wine industry brings to the province. Authentically local VQA wine is made without imported grapes.

SOURCE: Wine Council of Ontario

Allan Schmidt, Chair of the Wine Council of Ontario, www.winecouncilofontario.ca; Wine Council of Ontario Office: 905-562-8070; Duncan Gibson, Director of Finance, [email protected]