Mr Mark Bourne joined Charles Sturt University in January 2023 in the position of Associate Director of Academic and Education Partnerships for the Wine Industry. This is a new senior role, working with leading academic staff within the Faculty and Gulbali to maximise the value of current strategic partnerships, and to create new opportunities for engagement with the wine industry

Marks’ objectives are to drive innovative wine industry partnership and project development for Charles Sturt University by;

• Lead the planning and implementation of innovation in technology and other initiatives to increase the capacity for innovative grape and wine education, research and industry practices.
• Attract and negotiate funding opportunities for strategic Industry projects through strategic positioning, proposals and business cases.
• Develop relevant industry partnerships and build strong relationships to obtain a deep understanding of priorities across viticulture, oenology, horticulture, RDC’S, CRC's, researchers and innovators.