Wine Growers head to retire

Wine Growers BC’s longest-serving president and CEO has announced his retirement.

Miles Prodan, who joined Wine Growers BC in October 2010 as executive director, will step down December 31. The decision reflects both his personal priorities and the evolving needs of the association, which has undergone significant changes during his tenure.

Wine Growers BC chair Paul Sawler said the transition “comes at a time when the organization is poised for a strategic shift in response to emerging industry challenges and opportunities.”

Prior to joining Wine Growers BC – known then as the BC Wine Institute – Prodan spent five years as executive director and international market development specialist with the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association. The experience made him the ideal candidate for advocating on behalf of the BC wine industry, which was aiming to grow its share of the BC and Alberta markets.

During Prodan’s tenure with Wine Growers BC, the industry notched a 6.4% increase in provincial market share for BC VQA wines, which are made entirely with BC grapes, and the sector grew to an economic impact of $3.75 billion.

The wine stores operated under licences held by the organization for market development were assigned to Pattison Food Group, creating a $20 million wholesale channel.

However, a comprehensive review of the association’s governance model earlier this year underscored the need for changes in the role of the CEO.

Prodan says he is committed to ensuring a seamless transition in leadership and will continue to serve in a contract capacity during the transition period.

While a timeline for the selection of a new CEO has not been set, some of the first tasks have already been defined.

These include establishing new marketing and advocacy initiatives that build in past successes and address ongoing and emerging challenges facing the industry.

These include supporting wineries through the massive replanting and rebuilding program following two years of severe freezes that have left Okanagan growers facing the loss of nearly 99 per cent of their crop this year.