New Zealand

Sachindri Rana

Sachindri is an Indian Winegrowing Research Programme Manager based in Marlborough, New Zealand. Having always believed fervently in education as a means of attaining success, Sachindri initially pursued a career in the sciences, gaining a PhD in Biotechnology, with a particular specialisation in Nanotechnology. Wine had not been a key part of Sachindri’s upbringing, but thanks to the influence of a travel channel and falling in love with the visual appeal of wine, “while writing [her] PhD thesis, [Sachindri] realised that [she] wanted to have a career in wine.” New Zealand and its exciting wine culture called to her, and so Sachindri decided to relocate there, where she remains to this day. Not all was plain sailing, however, and sadly Sachindri “became quickly aware of the underrepresented community and the challenges that people like [her] faced in the wine industry”. Rather than accept this status quo as was, she decided to do something about it, and indeed it has inspired in Sachindri a desire to promote diversity and inclusion within the trade, such that she has “dedicated a lot of time to expatriates, refugees and men/women of colour” seeking to enter the sector. She has complemented these efforts with her support for programmes such as the “New Zealand Young Winemaker” and “Women in Wine NZ”. Sachindri’s passion for diversity is also reflected in the varied roles which she has held in the trade, having worked in roles within the Cellar, Winemaking, Laboratory, Quality Control, Research and Production fields. She feels that such varied experience, built over her nearly 8 years working in wine, will stand her in good stead as she begins her MW studies. Sachindri hopes that her Taylor’s Port Scholarship will enable her not only to continue pursuing her career in wine, but will furthermore help her become “a role model and champion for diversity and inclusion in the wine industry”.