Burns follows long-time Wine Market Council President, John Gillespie
Yountville, CA, November 8, 2017 – Wine Market Council announced today that industry veteran Steve Burns has been named President of the non-profit trade association. Burns replaces twenty-year Wine Market Council president John Gillespie, who will retire from the position at the end of November. Burns and Gillespie will work together over the next month to ensure a smooth transition.
“I am honored to join the Wine Market Council team and I look forward to building on the great work done by John Gillespie over the last two decades,” said Steve Burns, newly appointed President of Wine Market Council. “We have incredibly compelling research in the pipeline now more than ever and I look forward to working with the Wine Market Council team to provide our members with wine market insights and data that is essential to their marketing and brand positioning goals.”
For two decades, Steve Burns has specialized in re-alignment, board development and management for associations. Most recently he is the owner of O’donnell Lane L.L.C., a marketing, public relations and strategic planning firm for associations. Prior to that, Burns was the Executive Director of the Washington Wine Commission where he served from 1996-2004. Burns began a career in the wine business in 1990 as the International Marketing Manager at the Wine Institute. From 1984 to 1989, Burns was special assistant to Governor George Deukmejian, participating in California’s expansion in opening trade and investment offices around the world.
“Steve’s record of strong and successful leadership of wine trade associations makes him the perfect match for Wine Market Council,” said outgoing Wine Market Council President, John Gillespie. “The growth and success of Wine Market Council over the years has been driven by a ‘hands on’ board of wine industry leaders who value ongoing market research and its benefits to our membership. I know they will continue to support both Steve and the council’s mission in the years to come.”
Wine Market Council provides its proprietary research to association members only. Upcoming research projects include the Annual High Frequency Wine Consumer Survey with a Special Topic on Premiumization (December 2017), the Occasional Wine Drinker Survey (January 2018), and The Changing World of Retail Wine Shopping Survey (March 2018).
To access Wine Market Council research, you must be a member. Membership dues are based upon different criteria that are dependent upon your association with the wine industry. You can inquire about membership at the Wine Market Council website WineMarketCouncil.com or email Wine Market Council at SBurns@WineMarketCouncil.com. Media questions and requests should be sent to contact@teplinnuss.com.
About Wine Market Council
Wine Market Council was established in 1994 as a non-profit (501c6) trade association whose mission is to grow and strengthen the wine market in the U.S. on behalf of all segments of the industry by providing ongoing U.S. wine market research. More information can be found at WineMarketCouncil.com.
