Lumen Summer 2015 - Flipbook - Page 19
Creating a global wine brand
J
acob’s Creek is famous around the world as
one of Australia’s biggest-selling wine brands.
A key figure behind its success is Philip Laffer,
a University of Adelaide graduate and a living legend
of the Australian wine industry.
A grandson of vineyard owners and the son of an
agricultural scientist, Philip spent his early years surrounded
by the industry. At 16 he decided his future lay in
winemaking and followed his father in studying agricultural
sciences at Roseworthy College. In 1961 he obtained
a Diploma of Agriculture, followed two years later by a
Diploma in Oenology.
“Studying at Roseworthy was the start of something
terrific,” Philip said. “I met the most remarkable people and
even after more than 50 years I still have many close friends
– the friendships I made have truly lasted the test of time.”
The qualifications he received from the college provided an
entry into the industry and he was soon Chief Winemaker
at Lindeman’s where he worked for 27 years. Then in 1990
he joined Orlando and helped transform the Jacob’s Creek
brand into a worldwide success.
Today Philip is considered a visionary among his peers
and an inspiration for a new generation of winemakers.
He was named Winemaker of the Year in 2002, awarded
Roseworthy Old Collegian Association’s highest honour,
the ROCA Award of Merit in 2003, and the Maurice
O’Shea Award in 2010.
City highflyer opts for humanitarian causes
W
hen Philip Wollen OAM graduated
from the University of Adelaide in
1977 he never imagined where his
economics degree would eventually lead.
Success came early and by the age of only 34
he was Vice-President of Citibank and General
Manager of Citicorp. Australian Business
Magazine named him one of the top 40 brightest
and best headhunted executives in Australia.
But traveling internationally, he witnessed
suffering, cruelty and environmental
destruction. So he decided to leave the
world of “lobsters and Lear jets” in exchange
for shelters and slaughterhouses, and to
give away all his money “with warm hands,
and die broke”.
“And so far, we are right on budget,” he jokes.
Philip supports some 500 humanitarian
projects involving children, animals and
the environment in 40 countries, and his
Kindness House is a fully equipped incubator
for over 40 high achieving non-government
organisations. He awards his Kindness
Gold Medal and a significant cash prize to
others for their humanitarian work and past
recipients include Dr Jane Goodall, Maneka
Gandhi and Sir David Attenborough.
A renowned advocate for social justice, he
was awarded the Order of Australia Medal
(OAM) in 2005, Australian of the Year
(Victoria) in 2007 and was made an
Honorary Fellow of the Oxford
Centre of Animal Ethics in 2011.
Philip said he was deeply
humbled to receive a
Distinguished Alumni Award.
“I am grateful to the University
which allowed me free rein to
imagine a life with a portfolio
of possibilities, and in a
modest way, to experience
some of them.”
|e University of Adelaide | Alumni Magazine 17
