Leadership in Wine #3 - Clive Weston

Clive is the Managing Director of Nautilus Estate and Negociants NZ. He has sat on a number of industry boards, including Pinot Noir 2007, Pinot Noir 2010, and NZWG USA Ltd, and is a past Chair of the prestigious Family of Twelve.

In 2009, Clive was inducted into the National Restaurant Association of New Zealand’s Hall of Fame for services to the hospitality industry. In 2015, he was awarded the Sir George Fistonich Medal in recognition of services to New Zealand wine, and is a proud signatory, gracing the 2009 vintage of Yalumba’s The Signature.

 

How do you define leadership?

Galvanizing one or more people to understand, accept and stand behind a clearly articulated goal and follow you to achieve it.

 

What are the main challenges of being a leader in the wine industry today?

Holding one’s nerve in a fiercely competitive treading environment and patiently accepting that new technology, whilst essential, rarely delivers what it is expected to provide first up.

 

What are your major breakthroughs in your career to become the leader you are now?

Four employers in 46 years.

 

If you were starting your career in 2019 in the wine industry, what advice would you give to yourself to become successful and content?

Decide in what part of the industry you want to advance in, soak up as much as you can from people around you with experience and don’t be afraid of making a mistake or three, provided you are willing to learn from them.