The general counsel and company secretary for ASX listed wine company Australian Vintage, Alicia Morris, has been awarded the 2023 Governance Top 100 award. The award, launched in 2020, recognises excellence in the governance profession.
Morris has been with Australian Vintage for 13 years and leads its legal team and governance portfolio. She said she was incredibly proud of the governance work she has driven with the board and broader team.
Morris said, “I am so proud of my efforts to create governance frameworks for Australian Vintage to support and drive our powerful ESG ambitions, which will ensure our business is thriving for many years to come.
“Our sustainability roadmap incorporates our vision for the net positive impact we would like to create in our business and industry, with the intention of putting more back into the environment, society, and economy than we take out. By creating governing frameworks, alongside goals and programs, we can move towards this positive future.”
The award was launched by 3YS Owls Governance Consultants to highlight the importance of governance professionals. Morris was also a finalist in 2020.
Nominees including an elite field of corporate governance professionals across a range of ASX-listed companies, not-for-profit groups, government and government owned corporations, private and unlisted public companies.
3YS Owls co-founder and director, Deb Anderson, said each nominee should be proud of the contribution they make to their organisations.
“Ms Morris is a worthy winner chosen from a high calibre of outstanding achievers and finalists for this year that represent a broad range of industries including local Councils, agriculture, banking and financial services, and a good mix of diversity,” Anderson said.
Some of the attributes that stood out in the nominees was an increased focus on key ESG issues, working towards net zero emissions targets, climate-change related financial disclosures, modern slavery reporting, an increased utilisation of artificial intelligence (in an ethical manner), and cyber security to manage compliance with regulatory, governance and risk frameworks.
“This award truly emphasises the value and benefit of robust governance frameworks and the individuals that are responsible for driving these initiatives. Alicia is a true example of that, being named a finalist for both 2020 and 2023 as well as taking out this year’s award for winner of Governance Top 100 2023,” Anderson said.
In recognition of her achievement, Morris’ photo appeared on Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square, New York last Friday (3 November).
“I’m humbled to be recognised alongside the many talented governance professionals in our industry and having my face on a billboard in Times Square New York is an unexpected career highlight for a girl from Adelaide,” she said.
Morris holds a Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice (Hons), Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology) and a Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance. She is also admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of South Australia and the High Court of Australia, a fellow member of the Governance Institute of Australia, and a Chartered Secretary.
