News

Edmonds, Harper depart in more MLA staff, board moves

Jon Condon, 18/02/2015

Meat & Livestock Australia’s senior marketing manager Michael Edmonds has decided to leave the industry service delivery company to take up a senior marketing role in Melbourne, his home town.

MLA global marketing manager Michael Edmonds addresses the MLA AGM in Sydney.

MLA global marketing manager Michael Edmonds addresses the MLA AGM in Sydney.

Mr Edmonds, MLA’s central marketing & industry insights general manager, joined MLA in 2012 and has developed the marketing function and team at MLA over that time with a series of achievements including the development of the global “True Aussie” brand Australia program.

He was also responsible for a number of strong-performing domestic marketing campaigns, for both beef and lamb.

The recent MLA restructure saw Mr Edmonds bring together the Trade & Economic Services (TES) and Domestic Marketing teams to become Central Marketing and Industry Insights (CMII).

“He leaves a CMII team that is well-placed to continue MLA’s work of providing thought leadership and marketing programs to grow demand for Australian red meat,” MLA managing director Richard Norton said yesterday.

In other MLA developments this week, chairwoman Michele Allan announced that Dr Greg Harper has resigned from the company board.

HarperGreg

Greg Harper

Dr Harper was scheduled to retire from the Board at this year’s AGM and had decided not to nominate for re-election due to the time commitments required by his new role as executive director of agriculture R&D with the Victorian Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources.

He has been a director of MLA since 2009, appointed primarily for his extensive R&D experience through his prior career at CSIRO.

“I am very pleased with what MLA has achieved over my time as a Director, and I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to contribute to the industry in that capacity and to learn about the industry’s strategies for growing red meat exports, particularly into Asia, the Middle East and the US,” Dr Harper said.

“MLA has made some strong advancements in the balance of its R&D portfolio, and I look forward to seeing the company continue to invest in future success on behalf of industry,” he said.

Dr Allan said Dr Harper had brought wonderful insights and a global perspective to our discussions particularly around research and development. “We wish him every success and thank him sincerely for his significant contribution to MLA and the industry,” she said.

Dr Harper’s early departure will not change the number of board vacancies to be filled at this year’s MLA annual general meeting, to be held in Brisbane in November.

  • See Beef Central’s item yesterday pointing to the appointment of Michael Finucan as MLA’s new general manager of the International Business Unit.

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Comments

  1. Andrew Dunlop, 23/02/2015

    Hundreds of millions of Australian Producers dollars were spent over several decades to develop the Aussie beef logo, reputation and consumer awareness in Japan. Now that highly recognized logo has been ditched? Unbelieveable, back to the dark ages!
    That is just an incredibly stupid decision to make that just shows that MLA should not be given carte blanche to run marketing campaigs for Australian beef!
    The Aussie Beef logo was in Japan as recognizeable as Coca Cola!

  2. Andrew Negline, 18/02/2015

    The the fact remains we as the australian beef industry have tested the use of of “true” and “aussie” for many years ( prior to Mr Edmonds) without success from a global and domestic consumer acceptance point of view and goes to show MLA have not learnt from all the money that’s as been spent prior on this point, good luck Mr Norton and board who continue to ignore reality,past research (funded by the levy payer) and the consumer.

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