Anthony von Mandl, a near legend in the Canadian wine industry, received the Gustavson School of Business’s Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year award Thursday evening.
The founder of the Mark Anthony Group of Companies, made up of wineries around the world, including Mission Hill, Penfolds, Stags’ Leap, Wolf Blass and Liberty School as well as distilleries such as Dalmore, Glayva and Stolichnaya, and breweries like Steinlager, said he was humbled by the honour, adding it gave him time to reflect on a career that started in the early 1970s.
“When you start off on a long journey at the age of 22 and you don’t quite know where you’re going — you’re on your own and you have a belief, you have a vision, which in my case was to put the Okanagan Valley and Mission Hill on the world wine map, and you actually get there, you accomplish things so beyond what you could dream of,” he said. “I look back at what I took away from my learnings in university and I think these programs and the business school are essential to build the future leaders for humankind.”
Von Mandl made a presentation Thursday to business students at UVic, telling them about learning from failure, keeping companies nimble and innovative as they grow, the importance of authentic brands, and developing quality products that meet gaps in consumer demand.
Von Mandl pioneered high-end winemaking in the Okanagan, where his collection of family-owned wineries, including Mission Hill Family Estate, practises organic farming methods.
Saul Klein, dean of the Gustavson School of Business, noted innovation and creativity have always been key to von Mandl’s success in pursuing his goals.
Von Mandl took the opportunity to point out neither the business community nor the broader community and government work closely enough with the nation’s business schools.
“Businesses don’t, government doesn’t, and it’s an enormous miss,” he said. “As a result we lose so many of our best students and graduates to the U.S. in particular. We have amazing success stories of Canadians, south of the border, but we don’t have nearly enough amazing stories of Canadian companies.
“In order to make that possible, our universities, our institutions, and business schools are critically important. We are simply not working closely enough together and using them well enough at all.”
Von Mandl is an Officer of the Order of Canada, and a recipient of the Order of British Columbia for his work enhancing Canada’s international reputation in the wine industry.
He has been inducted into both the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame and American Marketing Hall of Fame. He holds five honorary doctorate degrees and is chair of The von Mandl Family Foundation that supports the arts, health initiatives, environmental conservation and vulnerable communities in Canada and the U.S.
Von Mandl joins a group of Gustavson honourees that includes Jim Pattison, David Foster, Alex Campbell Sr., Sir Terrance Matthews and Jeff Mallett.
The award, which has been given out since 2004, celebrates entrepreneurial excellence and recognizes an inspirational entrepreneur who has had a significant impact on the global community through business leadership.
PREVIOUS WINNERS
2020 — Jim Pattison, Pattison Group
2019 — Sue Paish, Canada’s Technology Supercluster
2018 — Stewart Butterfield, Slack
2017 — Don Mattrick, Microsoft
2016 — Linda Hasenfratz, Linamar Corp.
2015 — David Foster, music producer
2014 — Dennis Washington, industrialist
2013 — Brandt C. Louie, London Drugs
2012 — Dennis (Chip) Wilson, Lululemon
2011 — JR Shaw, Shaw Communications
2010 — Alex Campbell Sr., Thrifty Foods
2009 — Sir Terence Matthews, Mitel Corp.
2008 — Clive Beddoe, WestJet
2007 — David Black, Black Press
2006 — Gwyn Morgan, Encana
2005 — Dave Ritchie, Ritchie Bros.
2004 — Jeff Mallett, Yahoo!
