News

People on the Move: Appointments, retirements, achievements

Jon Condon, 16/05/2019

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

  • Former ACC processing exec moves on to exporting/trading project
  • New plant managers for Teys Wagga
  • Ex-AA Co feedlot and Wagyu manager joins Hancock
  • Elders new head of northern property
  • Heritage Seeds appoints MD
  • New head of property valuation for CBRE
  • New FIRB board member.

Former ACC processing exec moves on to exporting/trading project

Experienced meat processing operations executive Peter Milzewski has left Brisbane beef processor Australian Country Choice to join Integrated Meat Solutions, a small Cannon Hill based exporting/trading business.

Mr Milzewski spent 14 years in executive roles with ACC, firstly as chief operating officer and for the last ten years as chief executive officer. Prior to that he worked as operations manager with Nippon Meat Packers, and as general manager of Australia Meat Holdings’ Rockhampton plant.

Not a lot is known about Integrated Meat Solutions, a relatively recently established trading/export business which apparently was formed by one of Mr Milzewski’s family members, which is developing supply chain relationships and brand programs for beef and lamb.

Mr Milzewski’s replacement as chief executive at ACC is Andrew Ross, who has spent the past 11 years as general manager of Teys Australia’s Wagga facility and within the Teys Food Service business.

As part of a planned management transition within Teys, Mr Ross’s departure from Wagga and the company has seen Stephen Thompson, Teys’ former Biloela plant manager in Central Queensland, move into the Wagga plant management role.

Hancock appoints experienced Wagyu manager

AWA president Peter Gilmour congratulates AA Co’s Greg Gibbons on receiving association life membership in 2016.

Experienced feedlot and Wagyu operations manager Greg Gibbons has left the Australian Agricultural Co to join the growing Wagyu business of Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Agriculture and 2GR Wagyu.

Mr Gibbons has spent his working career in the feedlot industry, starting in 1987 with lotfeeding senior statesman Dugald Cameron at Aronui feedlot near Bell on Queensland’s Darling Downs. First Wagyu cross cattle were fed at the site in 1997, and when AA Co bought Aronui in 2002, Mr Gibbons transferred to the new owner.

He later filled a critical genetics improvement role as AA Co transitioned into large scale Wagyu production. Prior to leaving AA Co, he was general manager of breeding operations in charge of both Wagyu and composite programs, and was previously general manager feedlots in charge of Aronui and Goonoo yards.

Mr Gibbons will fill a similar role with Hancock and 2GR, which is also rapidly expanding its own Wagyu breeding and lotfeeding operations.

2GR Wagyu is already one of the world’s largest Fullblood and purebred Wagyu producers, and the relatively new 2GR premium Wagyu brand program continues to expand into export markets around the world.

Mr Gibbons’ title with 2GR is general manager Wagyu & backgrounding operations, responsible for operations in New South Wales and Queensland. The S. Kidman and Co bull breeding stud at Rockybank near Roma will also report to him, and part of his responsibility will be to work with the Kidman management team to progress further development of its Santa Gertrudis and composite bull breeding program.

Mr Gibbons will hand over cattle at feedlot entry point to the responsibility of Chris Fenwick, Hancock’s general manager of feedlots.

Senior property agency appointment at Elders

Experienced agribusiness professional Mark Barber has joined Elders Real Estate as the business’s northern zone real estate manager.

Mark Barber

Mr Barber is a seasoned agribusiness executive who has skills and experience in corporate finance, agribusiness economics and productivity, and agribusiness marketing. Most recently, he was the investment director (and investment committee member) at Laguna Bay, one of the largest agricultural fund and asset managers in Australia.

Prior to that, he performed a similar role at Hassad and headed up a team developing an agribusiness investment strategy for a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund.

Elders’ general manager real estate, Tom Russo, said Mr Barber’s appointment aligned perfectly with Elders strategy to invest in both in-country farmland specialists with strong local knowledge and capital city executives with deep insights into Australian agribusiness and extensive links into the pools of capital seeking to invest in the beef industry.

Mr Barber is sought-after for his insights into Australian agriculture. He was the agribusiness practice leader for ACIL Tasman where he expanded their business significantly and advised on some of the largest agribusiness transactions in Australia. He has also been retained by the Australian government to provide advice on critical policy issues, including wheat export deregulation and water markets.

He has hands-on operational experience, having been a partner in a southern tableland farming business producing beef cattle, prime lambs and trading livestock.

 New MD for Heritage Seeds

Pasture seeds and fodder crop business, Heritage Seeds, has appointed Toby Brown as the company’s new managing director, effective from July 1.

The appointment follows the decision of former leader Wayne Crofts to join his family full-time in Perth and continue his career in the logistics industry to the automotive and industrial sectors.

Heritage Seeds is a member of the family-owned Barenbrug Group, headquartered in the Netherlands, and has been on a rapid growth path in Australia, driving investment and innovation in the local industry. The company produces a broad range of temperate and tropical pasture varieties, fodder crops, forage cereals and field crops.

On the heels of acquiring Queensland-based companies, Australian Premium Seeds, Blue Ribbon Seeds and Premium Seed Coaters, the business is set to open a new $15 million state-of-the-art facility at Toowoomba in Queensland later this year. This will complement another major facility in Melbourne, smaller sites in Brisbane and at Walkamin in Queensland, as well as third party logistics warehouses.

Mr Brown only recently joined Heritage Seeds as its national sales manager, bringing 25 years’ experience to the company from across the agricultural chemical, machinery and wool sectors both domestically and internationally. Over the past decade, he has held senior global leadership roles with Nufarm, including in Germany to cover Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and as Country Manager of the UK, before his return to Australia last year.

“Despite the tough conditions in various areas of the country, the outlook is promising for many livestock commodities and the industry is on the cusp of significant developments with pasture and fodder crops that has the potential to boost the productivity and international competitiveness of our producers,” he said.

New head of property valuation for CBRE

Brendon Hulcombe, chief executive with national property valuer Herron Todd White has resigned after 13 years in the role to join CBRE as head of the specialist property agency’s pacific valuation and advisory services business.

Mr Hulcombe will replace Tom Edwards, who is now global head of CBRE valuation and advisory services. He will start in early November, based in Brisbane. Jacqui Bayles will be stepping into the role of acting CEO of Herron Todd White while the firm looks for a replacement.

New project officer at MINTRAC

Meat processing industry training body MINTRAC has welcomed Lynne Crawford to its team.

Ms Crawford was brought up on a mixed arable and livestock farm in Scotland, graduating from university with honours in Animal Science.

Before making the move to Australia, she worked professionally within the livestock industry industry for five years as an Agricultural officer for the Scottish Government.

Lynne will be working predominantly with domestic slaughter plants.

New FIRB board member

Margaret McDonald

Diplomat and environmental advocate Margaret McDonald has joined the Foreign Investment Review Board as a member.

Ms McDonald serves on the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and Co-operative Research Centre for Low Carbon Living boards and was also a judge for the MacArthur Foundation #100andchange program.

Her leadership roles include positions with Clean Energy Finance Corporation and Low Carbon Australia and Alcoa.

As a diplomat, Ms McDonald served as Australia’s deputy ambassador for the United States and Australia’s ambassador for the environment.

Her membership started on March 26 and she will serve for five years.

 

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Comments

  1. Dennis Scanlon, 20/05/2019

    Well done Gibbo – a worthy confirmation of your long term accomplishment in the establishment and growth of the feedlot industry and genetic influence into Australia’s Breeding and Meat Industries.

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