Thurnheer joins provincial Wine Authority Board

Okanagan College Media Release

A familiar face of business in the Okanagan is taking on a new role at the BC Wine Authority with the announcement of Laura Thurnheer’s appointment to the Board.

Thurnheer, who is a Business professor at Okanagan College, joined the BC Wine Authority Board last month after being recommended for the position and undergoing a series of interviews with the provincial Wine Industry Advisory Committee.

“We are very pleased that our members have elected Laura to serve on the Board of the Authority,” said Jeffrey Thomas, Chair of the Board of the BC Wine Authority. “Her leadership skills, knowledge of HR-related matters and depth of experience in the wine regions of the Province will be of great value to us as the Authority continues to evolve and work to guarantee the quality and origin of 100 per cent BC wines."

Thurnheer holds two degrees from UBC - an MBA from the Sauder School of Business as well as an undergraduate Bachelor of Commerce degree. She has extensive industry experience in the fields of marketing, human resources management, international finance and entrepreneurship.

Thurnheer is a Director of Kelowna Community Resources, sits on the Central Okanagan United Way Allocations Committee, is past-president of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce Board, a former Director of the Economic Development Commission of the Central Okanagan, and a former Director of Kelowna Tourism Advisory (TAC) Council, among other professional association memberships.

She currently teaches upper level courses in Human Resources, Strategic Management and Tourism/Hospitality at Okanagan College’s School of Business, where she also serves as a faculty mentor for award-winning business competition teams.

“It is truly an honour to be a part of this provincial Board,” explained Thurnheer. “This Board is a great fit for me as a Business professor here in the Okanagan. I have a great love of BC wine and believe in supporting our growing BC wine industry.”

Thurnheer’s appointment marks an important development in the provincial Board’s four-year history – she becomes the first Board member to reside in the Okanagan.

The Wine Authority was created by the provincial government in 2007. It is a non-profit society responsible for implementing the Wines of Marketed Quality Regulation. It implements the system of wine standards and authorizes wineries to use certain prescribed terms on wine labels such as BC VQA. The Wine Authority was created for VQA certification, tasting and enforcement of the Wines of Marked Quality legislation.