Graeme Acton Beef Connections alumni: Where are they now?

Millie Unthank

Using a monthly diary format, Graeme Acton Beef Connections program member Amelia ‘Millie’ Unthank is outlining her experiences and learnings as part of the mentoring program in the lead-up to Beef Australia next May.

Here’s Millie’s fifth monthly diary entry, with earlier entries available at the base of this page ….

“Several friends who completed the Graeme Acton program in previous cohorts spoke so highly of their experience and the value of the mentoring aspect; it became a clear goal for me to be involved.”

That was Drew Walsh’s reason for applying to the 2027 program, and he was not alone. When the program kicked off in May, endorsement of the Graeme Acton Beef Connections (GABC) program by its alumni emerged as a main motivator for this year’s cohort of mentees.

Drew Walsh, 2027 program participant, Agronomist & General Manager Operations at Precision Pastures Dubbo

So, what did those alumni do to draw people in? I asked three of them: Hugh Courts, Kari Moffat and Xavier McCluskey, to look back at where they started, what the program gave them and what has happened since.

Wider perspective: Kari Moffat

Kari joined GABC 2021 in a specialist livestock export role. For her, the program was a chance to broaden her perspective and understand where she could contribute to the wider beef industry.

“I was looking for a broader view of the industry and where I could contribute beyond my day-to-day role,” she says.

That’s exactly what she got. Kari has since moved into sustainability, governance and industry roles, and now works across a broader agricultural portfolio as Sustainability Manager for AAM Investment Group. The program showed her there was more than one pathway.

“It gave me confidence to step into roles where I could contribute to industry conversations, including policy discussions with Cattle Australia and, more recently, my Nuffield research,” she said.

One thing that has stayed with Kari since finishing the program has been the power of “backing yourself before you feel fully ready.”

Her mentor, seedstock identity Prue Bondfield, played an important role in building that confidence, providing guidance and support throughout the program.

She once thought leadership was something you had to earn first. Now she sees it as something you practise, “by showing up, being useful, staying curious.”

Kari’s view of leadership in the industry is relational: “Technical knowledge matters, but trust matters more.”

L to R: GABC 2021 participants Greg Pankhurst, Kari Moffat, Ryan Olive and Prue Bondfield

Deeper knowledge: Hugh Courts

Hugh joined GABC 2021 two years into a career at AuctionsPlus. Coming from a stud and commercial farming background with a veterinary bioscience degree, he knew the start of the supply chain well.

“Beyond that, to lotfeeding and processing, I had next to no knowledge,” he says.

The mentors left the strongest impression on him, particularly Greg Pankhurst. “Greg’s journey had been incredible. For someone like him and all the mentors to take time out of their days to give to the mentees in this program just cemented how giving this industry is, if you put yourself out there.”

Presenting at Beef2021, to a room of more than 200 people, was Hugh’s first step toward being comfortable at industry events.

He has since stepped into business development at AuctionsPlus, leading new projects including the AuctionsPlus Bloodline integration and the Feeder Optimised listings – tools built on the understanding of the supply chain’s far end that GABC gave him.

That work still links back to his original GABC project exploring the transaction between feedlots and processors. He’s recently spoken with more than 15 feedlots about feeder cattle sold on AuctionsPlus. The Feeder Optimised tag helps sellers stand out and helps feedlots find lots in spec.

Hugh’s definition of leadership isn’t about a title. It’s about being someone others can turn to: “It’s how someone can lend a hand or be a sounding board for anyone else in the industry looking to grow or build something.”

Different: Xavier McCluskey

Xavier joined GABC 2024 in a production role, working as a processing specialist across abattoir sites for a major retailer. He’d moved from New Zealand 18 months earlier and wanted to see how the Australian industry worked.

The program gave him access to the whole supply chain: people from properties, from production, from sales. “Real end-to-end visibility,” he says. He’d always approached things with a production mindset; GABC opened a window onto everything that happens before cattle reach the abattoir door.

It also showed him something about himself. “I came to the realisation that I had a passion for sales.”

Xavier is now Domestic Sales Manager for Hewitt Foods, focused on lamb and beef sales in Australia. “It’s a fairly different career pathway than where I was at the start of the program, for sure.”

His takeaway is the one I heard most often across all three interviews: don’t undersell yourself. Leaders in the industry are approachable, he says, if you take the first step – but it’s not a free lunch.

“They’re always going to expect something back from you,” Xavier notes. Whether that’s a progress update or feedback after a conversation. It’s a small price for what you get in return.

Xavier McCluskey and his GABC mentor Anthony Lee.

What they share

Three people. Three different corners of the supply chain. It was alumni like this that inspired this year’s applicants, more than the program on paper.

Back yourself. Don’t undersell yourself. Contribute before you feel completely ready: Those are the lessons this year’s cohort gets to build on.

Agtech Survey details

Readers are encouraged to participate in Milly’s national beef producer agtech survey, being conducted as part of her Beef Connections research project. The survey seeks answers to the question: Why do beef producers adopt – or reject – agtech? The survey is the centrepiece of her project titled Is Agtech Worth It? How Values Define Value.

It takes around six minutes to complete and asks producers about their enterprise, their decision-making, their experience with technology, and the values that matter most to their business. Producers can complete the survey here. Please share it with your neighbours.

Millie looks forward to sharing her findings at Beef2027, with industry stakeholders, agtech developers and producers themselves.