Obituary: Yvonne May

Yvonne May, regional director for the UK and Europe for Wine Australia, has passed away.

May had been fighting a serious illness for some months. Andreas Clark, acting chief executive at Wine Australia said: “It is with deep sadness that we announce that our dearly loved colleague and friend Yvonne May, who has for the last few months been battling illness, passed away over the weekend.

“Yvonne was a tireless and passionate ambassador for our Australian wine community in her role as regional director – UK and Europe. We were richer for having her in our lives but now poorer with her leaving us much too soon.

“While those who knew her well will be grieving her loss, she would not want us to wallow and we should all continue to be inspired with how she embraced life and its opportunities.

“Our hearts go out to Yvonne’s husband David and her family during this difficult and sad time.”

May was a well-known and highly respected member of the UK trade, particularly with regard to Australian wine.

She began her career as UK and European marketing manager for Rosemount Estate and then spent many years co-founding and running her own PR agency, Lindsay May Marketing before joining Wine Australia in 2011.

She helped oversee a revitalised Australia regain some of its former popularity in the UK with an increased emphasis on quality and regionality.