Pau Roca. Image courtesy the International Organisation of Vine and Wine
The OIV announced yesterday that OIV director general Pau Roca passed away on December 7th in Dijon, France, after a long illness.
The International Organisation of Vine and Wine said it was deeply saddened to announce the death at the age of 65 of Pau Roca, who was elected to head the OIV for a five-year term at the 2018 OIV General Assembly in Uruguay. Since 1992, he has been a Spanish delegate to the OIV and was chairman of the “Consumer Law and Information” (DROCON) expert group between 2010 and 2016, as well as vice-chairman of the “Sustainable Development and Climate Change” expert group between 2016 and 2018.
Having started out in scientific research in oceanography and gaining experience in the olive oil sector, Pau Roca had specific and in-depth knowledge of the global wine sector and expertise acquired at the head of FEV, the Spanish Wine Federation which he headed for more than 20 years.
A multilingual French and English speaker, Pau Roca has encouraged the development of digitalisation within the wine sector, but also for the OIV, by promoting new internal communication tools within a department that he has greatly developed. He was also instrumental in the transfer of the OIV headquarters to Dijon and initiated the management of the OIV Centenary Year.
Keen to ensure that the OIV, its role and its activities are recognised in an increasingly globalised world, Pau Roca has also strengthened ties with other global institutions such as the WTO (World Trade Organisation), the UNWTO (World Tourism Organisation ), the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), the CIHEAM (International Center for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies) and the Codex Alimentarius. It will also have welcomed 3 new Member States, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Albania, giving the OIV a total of 50 Member States.
Regina Vanderlinde and Luigi Moio, who chaired the OIV during Pau Roca’s term of office, praised his conviction and commitment to the world wine industry, which have enabled the Organisation to embark on a new century.
The OIV, its Member States, the scientific community of the Organisation, the members of the Steering Committee, and the staff of the Organisation, as well as the Director General-elect, John Barker, share in the grief of his family and friends over this terrible loss. The OIV extends its deepest condolences to his wife, Diana Ribera, and their three children.
Condolences may be sent to [email protected], and they will be forwarded to the family.
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