Beef Central publishes an occasional summary of appointments, departures and achievements occurring across the red meat and livestock supply chain. Send details for entries to admin@beefcentral.com

• MLA group management appointments
• Changes on AA Co board, management
• Genetics innovator inducted into Qld Business Hall of Fame
• Livestock events manager appointed for Rockhampton’s Beef 2027 event
• Lawyer to head new renewable energy advisory division
• ABRI launches search for next MD
• New private agency challenge for former LAWD property man
• New Dubai regional office for Australian red meat exporter Mulwarra
• Vale Ross Douglas
• US meat scientist Russell Cross calls time
• Young Aussie butcher earns accolades at WorldSkills event

MLA group management appointments

Meat & Livestock Australia has made two important group management appointments, following recent internal staff movements.

Doug McNichol

Returning to Australia after serving as MLA’s North America regional manager for the past four years is Doug McNicholl, who moves into a new position as group manager, adoption and commercial services. An environmental scientist by training, Mr McNicholl brings a strong skillset to the role, with his strong producer connection and knowledge, R&D management, strategic thinking, and time spent working with brand owners, exporters, processors in international markets.

“This will really help bolster the supply chain approach to our RDA initiatives for great producer outcomes,” MLA managing director Michael Crowley said at the time of his appointment. Mr McNicholl starts in his new role in September.

The role came up after former group manager, adoption and commercial services Sarah Strachan was promoted in May into the role as general manager for research, development & adoption, overseeing MLA’s broader $175.2 million investment in both on-farm and off-farm R&D projects, along with the adoption and extension services provided to the red meat supply chain.

Another recent MLA group management appointment was Monique Cashion, who replaces long-term employee Veronique Droulez as MLA group manager for nutrition.

Ms Cashion spent 15 years working with Woolworths prior to joining MLA, firstly as a senior nutritionist and later as general manager of Woolworths food and nutrition. Her role sits within MLA’s communications team, reflecting the evolution of work in the nutrition space and its strong focus on community and industry engagement.

Changes on AA Co board, management

There have been a series of changes on the board of the Australian Agricultural Co, following this month’s annual general meeting.

Nicole Sparshott

Marketing and brand specialist Jessica Rudd, daughter of former prime minister Kevin, has retired from the board after four years, replaced by Nicole Sparshott, a marketing and brand management expert with FMCG giant Unilever for the past 19 years, most recently as global chief of transformation. Ms Sparshott is also a boardmember of the Australian Food & Grocery Council.

“Just as the AA Co business considers the capabilities it requires to achieve its objectives, the same is true when the board has the opportunity to do so,” chairman Don McGauchie told shareholders at the recent 2024-25 AGM. “A range of factors are considered in appointing new board members, including appropriate skills and diversity. Nicole’s appointment brings new skills and expertise to the board that will serve us well in this next chapter, while maintaining the level of diversity that we’ve enjoyed in recent years,” he said.

Also joining AA Co staff ranks recently recently was chief marketing officer Bernadette Knight, who has more than 20 years’ experience leading the growth and development of some of some iconic global brands and portfolios within the luxury and lifestyle industries. She has held leadership roles at Campari Group, McWilliam’s Wines, and LVMH. Ms Knight has strong experience with global markets and dynamics, having lived and worked both in the US and Australia.

Genetics innovator inducted into Qld Business Hall of Fame

Agtech innovator and genetics pioneer Euan Murdoch has been inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame.

Euan Murdoch

After spending the early part of his career as a pharmaceuticals entrepreneur who made Herron paracetamol a household name, Mr Murdoch and wife Kaye later established the world-leading Nindooinbah Artificial Breeding facility near Beaudesert, pioneering new AB techniques for the global cattle industry. Click here to read more about the Nbryo project.

Mr Murdoch was one of six new Hall of Fame members announced at the 2025 induction dinner at the Brisbane Convention Centre. The business icons were recognised for their outstanding economic and cultural contributions to the state. Other inductees on the night included Kerri Craig-Lee, wife of Australian Country Choice’s Trevor Lee, for services to the fashion industry. The Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame was established by QUT and the State Library of Queensland in 2009 to recognise the state’s most influential business leaders.

“These Queensland business leaders are shaping our communities, economies and futures,” QUT Vice-Chancellor Professor Margaret Sheil said.

“This year’s inductees reflect the ingenuity and resilience that define our business landscape, and their stories will inspire future generations,” she said.

Mr Murdoch was recognised for his visionary entrepreneurship and innovation, and nationally significant contributions to Australia’s biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.

The youngest of six children, he grew up in rural Victoria and wanted to be a farmer like his dad. But the family farm ‘wouldn’t split six ways’ after his father suddenly passed away in his last year of school, so instead he enrolled in a vet science degree in Melbourne. After moving to Brisbane with his wife Kaye, he studied commerce at the University of Queensland and discovered a passion for entrepreneurship. While still a student, he started several businesses including a portable children’s highchair, veterinary products and dental products.

In 1972, he founded Herron Industries, seeing a gap in the market for paracetamol headache medication. Herron grew into a suite of 400 or 500 different products, ultimately knocking Panadol off the top selling list in grocery in Australia. Mr Murdoch sold Herron to Sigma Pharmaceuticals in 2003, and he and Kaye bought their property Nindooinbah, near Beaudesert, where he applied his learnings from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, and his various roles at UQ, to the beef and dairy industry.

He is now co-founder (with Nick Cameron) of agtech start-up Nbryo, which is working to improve global food resilience by developing technology that enables affordable transfer of genetically-advanced embryos that have improved disease resistance and climate tolerance. Funding partners for the research include Meat & Livestock Australia and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

“Don’t chase a dream with a motivation to make a lot of money. Chase a dream to do something significant, and the money will follow. Have a go, take risks and be honest with yourself,” was his advice.

Livestock events manager appointed for Rockhampton’s Beef 2027 event

Beef Australia has appointed Central Queensland cattle breeder Bonni Geddes as livestock events manager for the triennial Beef Australia 2027 event being staged in Rockhampton in two years’ time.

Bonni Geddes

Beef Australia CEO Simon Irwin said Bonni had been involved with the Beef Australia Stud Cattle Committee as coordinator in 2018, and later as a committee member in both 2021 and 2024.

“She has a strong understanding of the operational and organisational needs of the role, as well as a genuine appreciation for the work and culture of Beef Australia,” Mr Irwin said.

He said this was the first time Beef Australia had appointed a person to specifically oversee all aspects of the cattle events, and the position had attracted many well-qualified applicants.

“The Livestock manager is an integral member of the management team having oversight of the Stud, Commercial and Carcase championships, and will ensure the cattle competitions remain at the heart of the Beef event. Bonni will work with our cattle committees and the team at Beef Australia to make sure that our competitions are a great experience for exhibitors and the public.”

Bonni starts work next week, and some of her first tasks will be calling for applications from people seeking to join the stud, commercial and carcase cattle committees, with a call for expressions of interest going out next week.

Lawyer to head new renewable energy advisory division

A Brisbane-based lawyer has been appointed to a new role heading a specialised renewable energy advisory division with Goondiwindi-based law firm Fox & Thomas.

Nick Knowlman

Nick Knowlman has been appointed as principal of Fox & Thomas’s new Brisbane office, which will expand the firm’s service offering into renewable energy. Mr Knowlman is well known in the agribusiness sector, having worked in rural and commercial property, land access, carbon projects and agribusiness advisory with Trent Thorne at Hamilton Locke and Fran Becker and Brett Heading.

“Many of our clients are being approached by renewable energy developers proposing large-scale wind, solar and battery projects,” Fox & Thomas director Michael Cowley said in a statement. “Nick’s background in agribusiness, combined with his understanding of the risks and complexities involved in renewable energy projects, means we can offer expert advice to clients in the new and fast-moving sector.”

Mr Knowlman’s new role will help landowners navigate wind and solar development agreements, ensuring long-term protection for rural businesses, the company said in a statement. Fox & Thomas can trace its legal origins back 130 years, based out of Goondiwindi.

ABRI launches search for next MD

The Armidale-based Agricultural Business Research Institute has launched a recruitment process for a new managing director, with current MD Anita Kauffmann’s contract ending towards the end of 2025.

ABRI chair Angela Schuster said in August last year, the ABRI board had started a journey to transform the organisation into a commercially-focused company more closely aligned to its  customers, and to better deliver on stakeholder expectations.

With the end of Ms Kauffmann’s contract approaching and the successful achievement of the board’s short-term priorities, the board is now beginning the process to secure a new MD to take the next steps in ABRI’s transformation.

“Our next managing director will lead ABRI through its next phase of growth as a provider of commercial solutions for the agricultural industry, not just in genetics but across a broader range of data-driven technology and advisory services,” Ms Schuster said.

“Our vision for the next phase is about positioning ABRI to better serve the industry, by refining our capabilities, accelerating access to innovation and creating the conditions for sustainable, long-term collaboration and investment.”

“To support that, we are looking for a managing director with a commercial focus to create commercialisation pathways and lead ABRI’s investment readiness and commercial collaboration to accelerate ABRI’s transformation,” she said.

New private agency challenge for former LAWD property man

Tamworth-based property marketing specialist Daniel McCullough has parted company after two years with LAWD, returning to his roots with his own agency business, McCulloch Agencies.

Daniel McCullough

“While I’m no longer a shareholder or employed by LAWD, I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity. It’s a great business, filled with good people, and I wish LAWD every success for the future,” he said on social media.

“It’s the agility, pace and entrepreneurial spirit of a small, privately-owned business that’s drawn me back to McCulloch Agencies, a business we believe in, and are proud to lead into its next chapter.”

Mr McCullough and his wife Karina founded McCulloch Agencies in 2019,and have re-launched the business’s real estate division alongside its well-established livestock arm, marketing rural property, real estate and livestock across northern NSW and southern Queensland, from their base in Tamworth.

New Dubai regional office for Australian red meat exporter Mulwarra

Australian red meat exporter Mulwarra Exports has established a new Middle Eastern regional trading office in Dubai, with Sydney staffmember Hamish Thompson to relocate to head the new office.

Hamish Thompson

Mr Thompson is currently serving as territory manager in Mulwarra Exports’ Sydney office. In addition to continuing his role as a Territory Manager, he will focus on fostering customer relationships and expanding the non-packer export company’s reach across the Middle East/North Africa region. He will also work closely with Mulwarra’s wholly owned import/distribution subsidiary, Food Source International LLC, serving as a brand ambassador for the Mulwarra range of products.

The strategic expansion marks Mulwarra Exports’ first directly managed international office and was a significant milestone in strengthening its presence in the Middle East region, the company said in a statement. Thew new office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, will open for business in October.

Mulwarra has maintained a presence in the UAE for over two decades through Food Source International. The new Dubai office reaffirmed the company’s commitment to the region and supports its long-term growth ambitions for the group businesses and their supplier partners, the statement said.

Vale Ross Douglas

Former Santa Gertrudis stud classifier and breeder Ross Douglas, passed away in Toowoomba last month, aged 78.

Mr Douglas became well-known to Santa stud breeders Australia-wide during his stint as breed classifier from 1970-80, and later as a society councillor for ten years to 1991, becoming a significant figure in the history of the breed. He was just 22 when he took on the role as classifier, following mentorship and training from his father Howard, the Association’s first Australian-based Santa classifier and first manager of Risdon stud, Warwick in 1952 under the ownership of King Ranch, Texas. Prior to that, all Santa cattle classification was carried out by visiting US personnel.

Mr Douglas was a former president of Toowoomba Show Society and owner operator of Coolanya Cattle Co, near Kingsthorpe with his wife Ann who survives him, before retirement to Toowoomba in later years.

US meat scientist Russell Cross calls time

Widely respected US meat scientist Dr Russell Cross has reached retirement, after a distinguished 58-year career.

Dr Cross, who visited Australia on speaking engagements a number of times, including ALFA Beef Ex conferences, finished his career as senior professor in the Department of Animal Science at Texas A&M University, having specialised in meat science and food safety.

He was credited as being a pioneer whose work connected the dots between meat science, education and research and applying them to real-world industry practices that have become standards today. As an academic, food research scientist, research supervisor, administrator and industry chief executive officer, Dr Cross tackled major issues in the meat industry and made significant changes for the betterment of both consumers and industry – both in the US and overseas.

Evidence of his work has resulted in improvements in the food supply chain and still impacts education, on-farm and meat inspection practices, while establishing proven standards for meat processing and ensuring consumer safety. His diverse career included 37 years at Texas A&M University, 13 years at USDA and eight years working in the private sector.

During his time working at USDA, Dr Cross was administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) under Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton. While working at the Meat Animal Research Centre in Clay Centre, Nebraska, he served as research leader within the Meat Research Group. During his tenure as FSIS administrator, the infamous Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak occurred. The deadly outbreak changed food safety forever, Dr Cross said. The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) program was mandated and food safety regulations were dramatically changed.

Young Aussie butcher earns accolades at WorldSkills event

TAFE NSW Certificate III in Meat Processing (Retail Butcher) student, Tyler Walters, competed at the WorldSkills Australia 2025 National Championships, held in Brisbane recently, taking home a Medallion for Excellence.

This follows the 23-year-old’s silver medal win in the same category – Retail Butchery – at last year’s WorldSkills Regional competition.

Tyler said it was an honour to compete at the National Championships, and exciting to put his skills to the test, with thousands of people streaming into the Brisbane Convention Centre over the three days.

“It was incredible to compete in front of such a large crowd. I was told that on one day, around 16,000 people visited the Brisbane Convention Centre. We were positioned right at the front, and people were watching us constantly. It’s a completely different experience from being at work and observed by your boss or colleagues,” Mr Walters said.

Competitors were judged on butchery skills — how well they could cut and slice meat and break-down carcases. The judges also assessed the creativity of value-added products, which included pork, lamb, and beef on successive days, as well as overall industry knowledge.

The three-day competition brought together Australia’s top emerging talent across more than 50 skill categories, with participants tested under real-world, high-pressure conditions.

“WorldSkills is more than a competition – it’s a celebration of vocational excellence, and an invaluable opportunity for students like Tyler to build their skills, confidence, and careers,” TAFE NSW managing director, Chloe Read, said.