R. Michael Mondavi: Family Business Icon.

R. Michael Mondavi is Chairman of the Board of Robert Mondavi. Beginning with the founding of the Robert Mondavi Winery in 1966, he worked to realize his family's vision to produce fine wines.

Michael was raised in St. Helena, in the Napa Valley, where his family-owned the Charles Krug Winery. From an early age, he worked in the cellar. He graduated from the University of Santa Clara and returned to Napa Valley. At 23, he took the role of winemaker when the Robert Mondavi Winery was founded. As one of three employees, he held this position until 1974, and from 1969 to 1978, he took on the responsibility for managing sales. Throughout the 1980s, Michael and his brother, Tim, worked with their father, Robert, to guide the growing company. In 1990, both were named Managing Director and CEO. Four years later, Michael was appointed President, following the company's public offering. He was named Chairman of the Board in May 2001.

"My father and I recognized a great possibility for California wine in 1966," said Michael. "We set out to establish the Robert Mondavi Winery as a working symbol of the best that California could achieve. Today, my brother, Tim, sister, Marcia and I are building on Dad's foundation and taking the company to the next level."

As head of one of the leading wine companies in the world, Michael provides business leadership and strategic direction for the company. It is important to him that everyone in the organization embraces the family's visions and values, so they will accomplish their goals with a clear understanding of the strategic direction. "I envision my leadership role as guiding the direction of where we're going and communicating this direction not only to our employee team but to all our business partners and customers," said Michael. "I believe leadership is a philosophy--a concept of empowering people to accomplish our objectives."

The Robert Mondavi family was the first family-owned winery to become a public company in June 1993. "By going public we maintained control but sold enough of the company to keep it healthy and properly financed," said Michael. It also made the family more autonomous. "Going public encouraged a healthy separation between business and family. It gave us access to capital. We have more freedom of choice and the resources to grow our business." Robert Mondavi's recent joint ventures in Chile and Italy exemplify this strategy. In addition, it is essential to establish joint ventures with families who share compatible values, vision and goals. According to Michael, "Our partnerships demonstrate the continuity and the tradition of family businesses. This is not just a business, it is a way of life."

Following in his father's footsteps. Michael is highly visible in the media and with the wine trade, as a spokesperson for Robert Mondavi and for the wine industry. He also travels extensively on behalf of the business and the industry, both in the U.S. and throughout the world. He sees the present as the wine industry's greatest moment in time. "The past 30 years have been the golden age of the wine business, and we are now entering the platinum years," said Michael. "We have an opportunity to grow the consumer base by removing wine's mystery while maintaining its magic."

Michael is actively involved in industry affairs and is committed to numerous civic activities. He is a member of the California State Chamber of Commerce Board, the San Francisco Wine and Food Society and the American Vineyard Foundation. Michael is past Chairman and CEO of the Wine Market Council, and past President of Primum Familae Vini, the "First Families of Wine." He is past President of the Chaine des Rotisseurs of Napa Valley and is a former member of the board of trustees for the Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association. He is past President of the Napa Valley Vintners Association and past Chairman of Wine Institute. He was Chairman of Winegrowers of California from 1986 to 1987, and for many years served as an officer of the Wine Institute, chairing many of its committees.

In 1998, Michael was named "Industry Executive of the Year" by The Market Watch Leaders, a group of top industry executives. In 1997, Michael received the "Who's Who in Food and Wine" award by the James Beard Foundation and, in 1995, he was awarded the "World of Food and Wine" Lifetime Achievement Award.

In the community, Michael has served as President of the Queen of the Valley Hospital Foundation and as a member of the hospital's Board of Trustees; he is now an Honorary Trustee. He is a Past Director of the Napa Valley Symphony Association, a beneficiary of the Robert Mondavi Winery Summer Music Festival.

Michael has lectured at the University of California at Davis, the University of San Francisco, Stanford University, Harvard Business School and other universities throughout the United States.