Our People
Our Board
Simon Gilbertson
Managing Director
Simon Gilbertson left school at 15 to begin his career interaction with the land. After graduating from Lincoln University he decided to work in the city in order to save money to purchase a farm. After thirteen years of corporate life Simon purchased vineyards and built 3 wineries and a brewery in Hawke’s Bay, Australia and Marlborough
Nigel Oliver
Non-Executive Director
Our Key People
Denis Gunn
General Manager
A Hawke’s Bay farming local whose family settled in the Omahu area over 100 years ago. Sheep, beef, and horticultural farming runs in his blood.
An early introduction to grapes in the burgeoning wine industry of the 1980s sparked Denis’ interest in wine. In 1988 , the year of the famous Cyclone Bola, he was first involved in the harvest. Thirty-seven years on and after another significant cyclone, Gabrielle, he is still going strong.
An Oenology graduate from Roseworthy College in South Australia (1993), Denis went on to winemake at Villa Maria, Sacred Hill and Links for the past 12 years, starting as Winemaker and moving to General Manager five years ago.
With a desire to be in business, he established the Gunn Estate brand in 1994, which still lives on today. He also owns the renowned Skeetfield Vineyard, where 30-year-old dry-farmed Chardonnay vines continue to supply one of New Zealand’s iconic wines.
Adam van der Meer
Vineyards Manager
Born and bred in Hawke’s Bay, Adam has been part of the grape-growing and wine industry since 1987, bringing more than three decades of hands-on vineyard experience. He joined the Links team in June 2020 and now oversees vineyard management with a focus on quality and sustainability. Married with two adult children, Adam enjoys gardening and spending time with his family.
Nicolas Culemme
Chief Winemaker
Born in the beautiful Provence region in the south of France, Nico grew up surrounded by vineyards and olive farms. A former chemist and passionate about wines, he began his path to winemaking in 2005, working at the “Centre du Rosé” in Provence which is an institute created to improve and develop knowledge of Rosé winemaking.
After four years with the institute, he decided to fully commit to wine, completing his National Diploma in Oenology at Montpellier University in 2011. Following multiple vintages in France and New Zealand, he fell in love with Hawke’s Bay and the New Zealand way of life in 2013 during his first vintage at Links as an intern. Nico settled permanently in New Zealand in 2017, and his next step is Kiwi citizenship.
Paul Smith
Production Winemaker
Paul was raised on a kiwifruit orchard in the Bay of Plenty, where his passion for wine was first sparked by a part-time job at a wine shop in Te Puke. After three years of overseas travel, he returned to study Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University. His career has since taken him through vintages in Marlborough, the Hunter Valley, Burgundy, and two years in the Yarra Valley, before ultimately finding a home in Hawke’s Bay.
Jackie Black
Finance Manager
Originally from the Bay of Islands, Jackie began her career in Napier with Opus International Consultants (now WSP NZ), where she spent 16 years in a variety of finance roles, including three years in the United Kingdom. While raising her family, she worked part-time in finance and administration before joining Links Winery in 2017.
Carolien Callewier
Quality Compliance Manager & Assistant Winemaker
Carolien is originally from Belgium. Her passion for wine started from a young age, through family and hospitality. She continued the path in sales and marketing for a boutique winery in the south of France. After finishing her WSET Diploma, she continued her studies at UC Davis. This has led her around the world making wine. She came back to New Zealand for the southern hemisphere harvests and has since 2020 been living permanently in the beautiful Hawkes Bay. Joined Links Winery in 2023 and monitors the compliance for the winery and vineyards.