AgForce has announced the speaker line-up for its next 360 Series event which will be held in Biloela on September 3-4.

The event, which will include the AgForce Central Queensland Regional Dinner on September 3 and forum on September 4, will follow on from the success of the Roma 360 event in June which attracted more than 200 producers and industry stakeholders.

The 360 Series is a new initiative for the organisation in 2014 which replaces the traditional AgForce State Conference.  It includes a series of six dinners and forums across Queensland designed to provide better access to high quality speakers and to make industry events more accessible to all primary producers.

AgForce Central Queensland President, Peter Anderson, said the 360 Biloela event would take the strong discussion of important agricultural issues started in Roma to the central region.

“We have ensured our line-up of speakers is well placed to provide information on and analysis of critical issues including debt mediation, business structuring, succession, off-farm investment, infrastructure and how primary producers can stay on track to personally thrive through change,” Mr Anderson said.

“We will re-run our highly successful business planning panel discussion from Roma at Biloela and have also asked back change management specialist Dennis Hoiberg, however we have taken care to tailor this event to the Central Region by introducing a range of new speakers.

“These speakers include respected rural debt mediator and former senior banker, Peter Winterflood, and Tim Cope who oversees trade development at the Port of Brisbane.

“This event will provide an opportunity to participate in the important discussion surrounding the current state of agriculture and the chance to ask key questions about capitalising on the opportunities of the future.

“It will also be a place to catch up with friends and colleagues and to speak with like-minded producers and others from throughout the agricultural supply chain.”

 

Speakers at the Biloela 360 Series event include:

 

• Peter Winterflood, Debt Mediator

Prior to founding Allegiant FS in early 2012 Peter had been a senior banker with extensive experience across the full range of commercial, corporate and institutional banking in Australia and the UK for more than  33 years.

Peter has been a hands-on lender, assisting clients with business transactions across a wide range of industries and geographic locations.  He has also established and maintained extensive networks across legal, accounting, valuation, and industry bodies as well as with professionals in the Australian banking industry.

Peter established Allegiant FS to utilise the skills acquired through his many years of banking and to assist clients seeking to make the most of their banking relationships but lacking the time, experience or expertise to find, understand and negotiate the best deal.

 

• Don Chandler – Executive Director, Client Adviser, UBS

Don joined UBS Wealth Management in November 2012 after a 21-year career with Ord Minnett. Don was the Queensland State Manager of Ord Minnett for eight of those years. During his 23-year career Don has provided investment advice to a broad range of Private and Wholesale investors. The move to UBS has provided the platform and resources to significantly expand his expertise and offering to High Net Worth clients.

 

Don is a Director of the Queensland Club Foundation, Chairman of the St Aidan’s Foundation, Chairman of the Brookfield Recreation Reserve Trust and a Non-Executive Chairman of a Private Queensland Families Investment interests. He is a member of the AICD and holds a Bachelor of Business from Queensland University of Technology.

Don grew up at Barcaldine, the youngest of four boys and boarded at Churchie in Brisbane. He married a Roma girl Alison Ferrier in 1991. They have four Children from 13 to 20 and live in Brookfield in the western suburbs of Brisbane.

 

• Ben Cameron – Managing Director, Bentleys Brisbane

Ben Cameron has been with Bentleys since 1991, and is the Brisbane firm’s Managing Director.   He is a respected, connected industry expert in the Queensland market.  He is also a trusted advisor and business confidant to some of Queensland’s most successful family businesses.

 

In addition to his extensive work across sectors including property, finance, manufacturing and professional services, Ben heads up the firm’s specialist Agribusiness Team. The team work with a mix of agribusiness clients, financiers and stakeholders – including corporate and family-owned industry participants operating in the beef (including feedlotting), grain, horticulture, cotton and other primary production industries. Ben also works closely with other rural industry operators – such as stock agents and saleyard operators.

 

• Ari McCamley – Partner, Thynne + Macartney

Ari McCamley is a partner in Thynne + Macartney’s Agribusiness team.  Through Thynne + Macartney’s long-standing relationship with AgForce, Ari has been an active supporter of AgForce’s mission to advance the interests of the agricultural sector.

Ari has acted in several of Queensland’s headline rural property transactions in the last 10 years, guiding clients through negotiations and consideration of taxation consequences and due diligence towards timely completion

Ari’s clients are increasingly being affected by the increase in mining and coal seam gas exploration and production in rural Queensland.  He has helped landholders to secure better outcomes when confronted with everything from preliminary access by resources companies through to compensation negotiations for open cut mines and extensive gas fields.

Ari has also developed expertise in environmental and planning laws (in particular those related to tree clearing, feedlots and rural subdivisions), water entitlements, leasehold land tenures and tenure conversion, compensation for statutory resumptions, leases, agistment agreements, share farming agreements and management and consultancy agreements.

• Dennis Hoiberg – Lessons Learnt Consulting

Dennis is one of Australia’s most sought after speakers on building human resource capacity in the agricultural sector.  He works with individuals, families, teams, organisations and communities to help them cope with change. He strongly believes that everyone needs a range of strategies and solutions to deal with the challenges they face in daily life.  In his presentation, Dennis will provide you with practical strategies to better deal with information in your world.

 

•  Tim Cope, Trade Development Executive, Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd

Tim Cope has more than 13 years’ experience in trade development and logistics across the agricultural and port industries.

Tim joined the Port of Brisbane Pty Ltd in 2012 as a Trade Development Executive with a specific focus on facilitating trade growth in the agricultural sector.

Prior to this, Tim worked for Westland Milk Products  – New Zealand’s second largest dairy co-operative – as Supply Chain Manager, where he was involved in negotiating and managing warehousing, road, rail, and shipping contracts for export and import cargo.

Tim’s strong logistics background has enabled him to successfully utilise different transport modes – road, rail, and sea – to efficiently and cost-effectively move containerised and bulk cargo to market.

 

• Andrew McCallum, Manager Trade and Market Access, Meat and Livestock Australia

 

• Stuart Barrett, Beef Producer, Thangool

Source: AgForce Qld. For more information and to register go to: www.agforceqld.org.au

 

• AgForce Central Queensland Regional Dinner

Wednesday, 3 September from 6:30pm

Biloela Civic Centre Courtyard

Members $50, Non-Members $65

 

• AgForce 360 Series Biloela Forum Pre-Breakfast

Thursday, 4 September from 7am

Settlers Motor Inn

Members Free, Non Members $15

 

• AgForce 360 Series Biloela Forum

Thursday, 4 September

Registrations 8:30am for 9am start

Free entry (pre-event registrations are required)