BOARD of DIRECTORS

Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia's Board is comprised of highly experienced individuals who share a passion for Australia's food and wine offering and for the role experiences can play in people's lives.

Director & Chair - Matthew Cameron-Smith

After three years as a Director on the UWEA board, Matthew was appointed as Chair and Director, succeeding Nick Baker. With over 30 years in the tourism industry, he continues to lead as the CEO of Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, a position he assumed in July 2020. During his distinguished career, Matthew spent seven years at The Travel Corporation as Managing Director, significantly contributing to the development of strategic vision, values, and corporate objectives, across multiple brands including AAT Kings, Trafalgar, and Costsaver Australia. His extensive background also encompasses influential roles with Tourism Australia and a seven-year tenure at Rydges Hotel and Resorts, where he played vital roles in business development and global leisure sales.

Director - Jo Adamo

Jo Adamo is currently the Brand Homes & Education Director for Pernod Ricard Winemakers based in South Australia,  overseeing four key brand precincts in Australia (Jacob’s Creek & St Hugo) and New Zealand (Brancott Estate & Church Road). She contributes to the Pernod Ricard Global Brand Home community in delivering world class brand experiences for consumers and enhancing brand reputation. Prior to returning to Australia at the start of 2018, Jo spent four years in New York as Vice President, Marketing leading the Wine & Champagne division for Pernod Ricard USA. She has also held the role of Global Marketing Director, Australian Wines shaping and delivering brand and portfolio strategies across some 70 international markets including Australia, China, US and UK. Jo has spent a number of years in Sydney and London in various marketing and commercial roles with Pernod Ricard, including General Manager, Marketing & Trade Development and Regional Manager for the UK and Europe.

Director - Jessica Carpenter

Graduating with First Class Honours in Bachelor of Mathematics and Finance from the University of Technology, Sydney, Jessica began her 15 year career in investment banking, specialising in credit and market risk management in financial and equities markets at Westpac and ABN Amro Bank. After starting a family in 2009, she took the opportunity to enter the growing family business and now oversees all financial and operational aspects of the Agnew Wines business and the associated commercial and tourism operations. Jessica is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Director - Heidi Williams

Heidi’s role in the family business started when she was at university studying law. Planting olive trees and lifting wires in the vineyard on her summer holidays. Fast forward a few years and she left her law career in Melbourne and moved to the beautiful Mornington Peninsula to help open Montalto. What started as a small family business grew quickly over the years, and Heidi’s involvement has grown over time, spanning all commercial aspects of the business over the years, interspersed with raising a family. After a couple of years as CEO, Heidi now sits on the board of Montalto and works with the family and the team to guide this very special business.

Director - Amanda Behre

Amanda is an experienced executive marketing and commercial partnerships leader with almost 20 years’ experience specialising in travel and tourism, ecommerce and digital marketplaces. Amanda holds a decade of international experience leading marketing and product development in North America for Stella Travel Services, including Qantas Vacations, with previous roles including marketing and partnerships leader at Wotif, lastminute.com.au and Qantas Holidays in Sydney. For the past three years, Amanda was CMO of Gumtree, managing consumer and B2B marketing, communications, growth marketing, CRM, marketing automation and technology, managing a database of over 7 million consumers. She has led teams spanning Australia, Europe and North America. Amanda is a seasoned speaker, panellist and judge across marketing, tourism and customer experience publications including B&T and Mumbrella. 

Director - Cecilia Hakansson

Cecilia brings over two decades of expertise in retail, sales, and hospitality management from across the globe to our team. With a passion for driving business growth and elevating customer experiences, Cecilia currently serves as the Retail Operations Manager at Moorilla Estate in Tasmania. Her extensive background in managing cellar doors, leading marketing campaigns, and collaborating to build innovative product offerings will be invaluable as we continue to work with our member wineries and stakeholders to be Australia’s leading wine tourism collective. Cecilia is originally from Sweden, lives in Hobart and enjoys a Tasmanian Chardonnay.

Director - Dana Ronan

Dana Ronan is a seasoned strategic advisor and board member with a diverse work history spanning tourism/hospitality, manufacturing, and healthcare. She is skilled in leadership, marketing, marketing & business strategy, digital transformation, customer/patient experience and value-based healthcare. Dana is a strong business development professional with a Bachelor of Business (Economics & Marketing), further qualifications in direct and data driven marketing, customer experience, Indigenous cultural awareness, partnerships and social value creation.  Dana is a design thinking facilitator, lives in regional Victoria and loves sparkling wine and a good Chardonnay.