Our People

Juliet joined BRI from her current role as Head of Core and Resilience Innovation at Zespri. Juliet says, “I am excited to take on this new role and to bring my experience in science and innovation to grow the future of the wine industry.”

Braden is the Knowledge Transfer and Engagement Leader and is responsible for leading the transfer of knowledge and engaging with our viticulture and winemaking communities.

Sharon has led the establishment of a Programme Management Office at BRI, to ensure the successful planning and delivery of research and strategic projects.

Ross Wise MW is BRI's Winemaking Innovation Leader. In 2020, Ross became Canada’s 7th Master of Wine. His MW Research Paper studied the potential implications of climate change on viticulture in the Okanagan Valley looking ahead to the 2050s.

Sarah is BRI's Communications Manager and is responsible for BRI's communications including the website, newsletters and media.

Renee has joined BRI as Executive Assistant, supporting the CEO, Board, committees, and Leadership team. She brings with her a diverse background, with experience in both support and leadership roles, primarily in the airline and tourism industries.

Jacqueline is BRI's Operations Manager which includes programme coordination for the Sauvignon Blanc 2.0 and Next Generation Viticulture Programmes, supporting programme management, and health and safety functions across BRI. Jacqueline has 10+ years of experience in Marlborough, in various leadership positions including managing operational teams.

Sarah is BRI's Finance Associate, bringing with her extensive expertise in accounting and financial management.

Dr Fang Gou is BRI’s Data Manager. Fang's primary focus at BRI involves creating a comprehensive industry research data catalogue. She also oversees BRI's data management systems, curating a wine industry research data repository for efficient sharing.

Yuichi is a key member of the viticulture innovation team. He assists with running trials and then helping communicate findings to members.

Paul’s role at BRI is to conceive and deliver applied research projects, in cooperation with winegrowers, BRI staff, and researchers from partner institutions.

Francesca is BRI’s Research Winemaker. She is responsible for the running of the Research Winery, as well as conducting winery research trials each year for both commercial and industry research.

Rob is our new Assistant Winemaker at the Research Winery. He most recently worked at Wither Hills Winery, and he has a Bachelor of Viticulture & Winemaking and a WSET Diploma in Wine & Spirits.

Matthew joined BRI's Lincoln-based Grapevine Improvement team in early-2025. He comes from Waipara's Greystone Wines where he was Cellar Master. Matthew has previously completed a Bachelor of Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University and worked vintages in Hunter Valley.

Seth is BRI's Sustainability Research Leader. Seth most recently worked as a Senior Scientist at AgResearch and has a PhD in Soil Sciences from the University of South Australia.

Matheo has joined the BRI team to lead our commercial viticulture trials this season. He has a Masters Degree in Agronomy engineering (Viticulture and Oenology) from l’Institut Agro Montpellier.

Darrell is the Principal Research Scientist on the Sauvignon Blanc Grapevine Improvement programme and leads the Grapevine Improvement team based in Lincoln.

Bhanu is a Research Scientist in the Grapevine Improvement team. He has worked closely with New Zealand Winegrowers on grapevine trunk diseases, and is primarily working on Sauvignon Blanc Grapevine Improvement programme.

Annabel is a Bioinformatician in the Grapevine Improvement team. Her role explores genomic datasets to glean insights into grapevine biology. Annabel has a strong background in genomics and she holds an Honorary Research Fellow position at the University of Auckland School of Biological Sciences.

Amy joined the Grapevine Improvement team in April 2023 as the Laboratory Manager. Amy works across multiple projects in grapevine improvement and manages the laboratory administration.

Solomon is a Research Associate in the Grapevine Improvement team. Solomon coordinates the grapevine virus elimination project from the National Vine Collection as well as working on other grapevine improvement projects.

Cen is a Research Associate in the Grapevine Improvement team. Cen primarily works on the Tuned Vines project to study epigenetics of grapevine in different climates or in response to stress.

Ellie is a Research Associate in the Grapevine Improvement team. Ellie works primarily on the molecular biology aspect of the Tuned Vines project.