Welcome back to The Shout’s Industry Women Spotlight Series, a profile series which shines a light on the stories and perspectives of women from all across the industry.
Through these regular profiles, we aim to hero the visibility and inspiration that is common on International Women’s Day – it’s important we have these conversations more frequently than just once a year.
This next profile shares the story of Helen Strachan, Legal and Corporate Affairs Director at Pernod Ricard Winemakers. She is a force for positive change in the drinks industry, winning the Champion of Diversity and Equality title at the 2020 Australian Women in Wine Awards as well as serving as a board member for DrinkWise and chairperson for the National Wine Foundation Council (Australian Grape & Wine).
Strachan is a lawyer by trade, but has family ties to the wine industry from her home state of South Australia – her father was a grape grower and three out of four of her siblings already worked in the industry before she came to it herself. This happened when Strachan was working at a law firm outside of the industry and was offered a secondment at what was then known as Orlando Wyndham Group. It was an opportunity she jumped at, and one that set her down the path to her current role.
This current role is an incredibly important one, with Strachan being a key member of the executive management team and managing the legal function of Pernod Ricard Winemakers. Strachan’s unique position is one that solves problems and navigates issues in a number of areas, while having an impact on the culture of the company and being a mentor and representative on external bodies.
Read the story ‘Helen Strachan: We can all have a positive influence’ on The Shout here.
