The national association for the English and Welsh wine industry WineGB has announced the departure of the CEO Nicola Bates after three years in the role.

The company did not disclose the reason behind the exit and is set to announce the longer-term leadership arrangements in the future.

Moving forward, the company will continue with its current leadership team, who will oversee everyday operations until a replacement is chosen.

The executive team includes head of marketing communications Kirsty Rushby, head of partnerships Neil Walker and knowledge manager and company secretary Gillian Jordan.

The company plans to focus on the delivery of its existing strategy, which includes progressing its export programme, increasing the trade and sales opportunities, and assisting members in achieving sustainable growth and long-term development.

Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning

Charlie Holland, WineGB Chair, said: “During her tenure, Nicola worked with stakeholders across the English and Welsh wine industry to help drive change for all our members, producers and the industry, and on behalf of WineGB and the board, we thank her for her contributions and the considerable impact she has made.”

The business plans to retain focus on the key priorities over the course of the leadership transition period.

Bates added:  “Three years ago, I joined WineGB and kicked off a full consultation process with the membership to understand just what the sector needed.

“This was distilled in our Cultivating Success strategy, and its subsequent delivery has seen improvements in our offer and organisational resilience. I’m proud of what has been achieved.