The Cape Wine Academy is pleased to announce KRISTINA BEUTHNER, as the new Principal for the Cape Wine Academy as of January 2014. 

The outgoing CEO, Marilyn Cooper, is retiring in December after 15 years of service to the Cape Wine Academy.  Marilyn has been CEO for the past 6 years and has achieved many milestones during her tenure such as her Cape Wine Masters qualification; the 100 000 students enrolled for Cape Wine Academy courses achieved in 2011; the launch and organising of the Soweto Wine Festival, the first and arguably the most successful township wine festival in the country, now in its 10th year; she was a Finalist in the CEO Magazine as ‘SA’s Most Influential Women in Business & Government’ in 2009 and nominated again in 2010; she  has wine-judged at all the major wine events such as Veritas, Muscadel Association, Woman Winemaker of the Year, Terroir awards, Michelangelo wine awards, Juliet Cullinan wine awards, WINE magazine, WineLand Magazine, Classic Wine magazine to name a few.

Marilyn leaves behind a hard-earned legacy of transformation action in the hospitality industry and it is with this in mind that Kristina was the successful candidate in a tough field.

Kristina Beuther’s wine experience and education is highly suitable to her new position. Presently, she wine-judges for the International Wine and Spirit Competition London (IWSC); is the Northern Manager for Institute of Cape Wine Masters (ICWM) since May 2012; She lectures for the Cape Wine Academy; presents tastings for companies and wine clubs; is a regular article contributor to www.wine.co.za, and is the Wine Consultant to management at the South Africa-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Kristina’s past employment is fascinatingly entrepreneurial from consulting to the Strandveld Vineyards and Vergenoegd Wine Estate where she researched export agents establishing contacts at wine shows for 5 years, to running a small wine and gifts exports firm to exporting Kenya and Germany to companies in Johannesburg. She also owned a wine distribution company for 5 years importing and distributing German & Italian wines.

Academically, Kristina is a Cape Wine Master achieved through the Cape Wine & Spirit Education Trust; has a Wine Diploma from the Cape Wine Academy; achieved a Double Diploma in Business Administration – namely the Diplom Betriebswirt (FH Reutlingen, Germany) and the Diplome d'Etudes Superieures Europeennes de Management (ESC Reims, France).  Kristina is fluent in German, English, Spanish and French and speaks some Afrikaans and Japanese.

It is a bitter sweet moment as the Cape Wine Academy says goodbye to Marilyn Cooper, a formidable leader and passionate teacher, and welcomes her equally-driven successor, Kristina Beuthner, as the new Principal for the Cape Wine Academy. The Cape Wine Academy is proud to be associated with these women-pioneers of the wine industry.