Beef Central publishes an occasional summary of appointments, departures or achievements occurring across the red meat supply chain, both private sector and government. Send submissions to admin@beefcentral.com
- Senior staff changes afoot at AA Co
- New GM for Elders real estate
- AMIC appoints Technical Manager
- CAAB sees changes
- Federal Ag staffers recognised in Australia Day honours
- Trump’s new US secretary of Agriculture
- New manager in Broome to benefit northern beef industry
- PGA Livestock Committee chair roles change
- Scholarship benefits young beef industry leaders
Senior staff changes afoot at AA Co
There’s been a number of senior personnel changes at Australian Agricultural Co since late last year. But before readers interpret this as any ‘mass staff exodus’, it’s worth remembering that AA Co now employs 660 people across its far-flung production, lotfeeding, processing and meat sales operations. With its growing emphasis on retained-ownership branded beef sales, the company’s sales, marketing and logistics team alone now numbers more than 20, so it is perhaps inevitable that there will be staff movements with some regularity.
Andrew Slatter
Recently departed from the company is chief financial controller, Andrew Slatter, who joined AA Co two years ago from his previous role as ANZ’s head of agribusiness for the Asia region.
A new CFO appointment will be made in due course, but for the timebeing, group financial controller Scott Prebble will be acting CFO – a role he has filled on a custodial basis previously.
Also recently departed is acting general sales and marking manager Michelle Aldridge, who left last month after 12 months in the role, during which she managed AA Co’s major brand re-modelling exercise, including the recent launch of the Wylarah and Westholme Wagyu brands. Michelle arrived at AA Co from a global marketing role with healthcare and pharmaceuticals manufacturer Reckitt Benckiser.
Unrelated to her departure, experienced meat sales executive Alistair Ronald re-joined AA Co ranks in December, where he previously worked as sales manager for six years up to 2011, before taking a similar role at Stanbroke Beef.
Also departed last month was Ben Carter, who previously held roles as processing manager and meat sales and marketing manager with AA Co, and prior to that worked for many years in production management with burger pattie manufacturer, OSI. He moves to a new role as supply chain manager with rapidly expanding Australian food service sector success story, Grill’d Burgers.
AA Co’s head of people and culture, Tony Bourke, is also soon to leave the company, but will continue to provide contract work.
Appointments or internal promotions for the vacated positions will be made in due course, Beef Central understands.
The company’s Livingstone Beef plant (which itself employs 200 staff) is already in full production for the year, despite the northern wet season, and is currently processing up to 500 cattle each day.
New GM for Elders real estate
Tom Russo
National livestock, property and merchandise agency Elders has appointed a new general manager for its real estate operations.
Tom Russo has been appointed to the role, and has been charged with the task of increasing revenue by 10-20 percent as competition in the rural property marketing space heats up.
In his previous role as Elders general manager of strategy and business development, Mr Russo played a key role in devising and implementing the company’s overall turnaround strategy.
“Our board has backed a new strategic direction for the real estate business, which is heavily focused around increased growth and a greater brand presence, right across Australia,” he said.
Elders real estate negotiated sales worth about $890 million in agricultural last year and about $3.8 billion in residential properties.
Rising values, more activity in farm and residential sales as well as new hirings and business improvement initiatives saw Elders real estate division contribute an increased $29.2 million to the company in its last financial results, and Mr Russo expects that will continue.
“We’re targeting aggressive growth through acquisition of businesses and recruitment of top-quality sales representatives,” he said. “I think our competitors tried to aggressively enter the market with a lot of advertising and the promise of offshore buyers, but I don’t think they have the scope and the network of local buyers that we have,” Mr Russo said.
AMIC appoints a new Technical Manager
Following the departure of Rob Williams in December, the Australian Meat Industry Council has appointed Dr Mary Wu as the organisation’s new Technical Manager, focussing primarily on export trade access and non-tariff barriers to trade.
Dr Wu is a veterinarian by trade, and has worked extensively in technical meat market access for the Export Standards branch of the Federal Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. She has extensive experience in the meat export regulatory environment, including the Australian meat inspection system under the Australian Export Meat Inspection System, and how it functions to support market access.
She has experience in a wide range of international standard-setting mechanisms important to the meat industry including the WTO SPS, OIE and Codex as well as in tasking/briefing of Australian government representatives (Ministers, Ambassadors, Counsellors etc) and development of submissions and direct representation. She starts in her new AMIC role on Monday.
CAAB sees changes
Certified Australian Angus Beef chief executive Kate Brabin finished up this week, after ten years in the role.
Kate Brabin
As CEO of Certified Angus Group, she guided the expansion and continued success of the company’s brand programs Angus Pure (natural program) and Certified Australian Angus Beef (grainfed).
Independent CAG directors Richard Rains, Tony Hale and Peter Trahar are also be exiting the CAG board.
CAG Pty Ltd will continue operation as a separate wholly-owned subsidiary of Angus Australia, supporting and promoting Angus beef brands as it has done for the past 20 years. However, from today CAG will be managed directly by Angus Australia, and the CAG board will be comprised of only directors of Angus Australia.
“This change to the governance and management of CAG will significantly reduce overhead costs and enable greater integration of Angus beef certification and verification services into the core business of Angus Australia,” AA president Libby Creek said.
“We acknowledge the 10 years of service to CAG from Kate Brabin, who has contributed greatly to the delivery of Angus Breed Verification Services to industry and the support of the CAG owned brands,” Ms Creek said. “The board also gratefully acknowledges the contributions of exiting CAG board chairman Peter Trahar and fellow independent directors Richard Rains and Tony Hale,” she said.
The point of contact for CAG matters from today will be Peter Parnell at Angus Australia.
Federal Ag staffers recognised in Australia Day honours
Two of the Federal Department of Agriculture’s senior executive staff were awarded Public Service Medals as part of the Australia Day Honours List.
Nicola Hinder was recognised for her contributions to biosecurity management, as part of work to safeguard our valuable agricultural industries, and has also supported agricultural trade including in her current role as the department’s Agricultural Counsellor in Brussels.
Matthew Koval was recognised for his work in advancing Australian agriculture. Key areas of his work include drought policy reform, research and development policies and the reform of access to agriculture and veterinary chemicals, which have substantially benefitted agricultural industries.
His work in maintaining effective relationships with the European Union and the Australian beef industry have resulted in the development of the proposal that provide the breakthrough in supply of high quality, grainfed beef to the European Union under an otherwise inaccessible quota arrangement. That market now generates more than $150 million each year for Australian beef exporters.
New US secretary of Agriculture
Two days before the inauguration, US President-Elect Donald Trump chose former Georgia Governor, Sonny Perdue, to be the next US Secretary of Agriculture, a key role of significance in the US administration for Australian beef exporters.
Mr Perdue, 70, has a doctorate degree in veterinary medicine from the University of Georgia and was a member of Trump’s agricultural advisory committee. He served as Georgia governor from 2003 to 2011. He campaigned for governor on a platform of restoring public trust in state government and empowering all Georgians by eliminating undue interference by government bureaucracies. Earlier in his career Mr Perdue became a successful small business owner, concentrating on agribusiness.
Al Almanza
In another appointment important to Australian beef since President Trump’s inauguration, Al Almanza has been appointed USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service administrator. The FSIS is responsible for the import inspection and regulation of beef, sheep and goatmeat imports into the US from all countries including Australia. The Australian industry’s relationship with the USDA FSIS is a very important part of ensuring that the industry fully understands all import requirements in the US market. Mr Almanza was Deputy Under-Secretary for Food Safety and Acting FSIS Administrator under the Obama Administration. He visited Australia in 2015, including a presentation at the Beef 2015 event in Rockhampton.
New manager in Broome to benefit northern beef industry
The WA Department of Agriculture and Food’s new Northern Beef Futures Productivity and Profitability manager Trevor Price has hit the ground running, since commencing in the role in January. Department project manager Mark Ritchie said Mr Price, who is based at the department’s Northern Beef Development Centre in Broome, would be a familiar face to many in the northern pastoral industry having travelled extensively in the region as a seedstock producer.
“Trevor was a strong candidate for the role in northern WA – he understands cattle enterprises from all perspectives having initially attended a rural college, worked on cattle stations in the Northern Territory and, more recently, having established his own cattle stud in NSW,” Mr Ritchie said.
In 2002-03, after a break from the cattle industry, Trevor started a beef seed stock business to provide cross-breeding options in northern Australia. A 26-year career in the military as a soldier and officer working in management and engineering, complements his animal science background. In his role as Productivity and Profitability manager he will drive the on-station, productivity development aspects of the WA department’s Northern Beef Futures project.
In another appointment, Department Beef Industry Development director Brad McCormick said Mark Ritchie had recently taken on the role of Northern Beef Futures project manager.
“Mark has a wealth of beef industry and leadership experience,” Mr McCormick said. “His previous positions with the Cattle Council of Australia and the North Australian Pastoral Company place him well to deliver benefits to stakeholders throughout Western Australia’s northern beef industry value chain.”
The Northern Beef Futures project is an investment by the WA State Government’s Royalties for Regions program.
Scholarship benefits young beef industry leaders
Two young leaders in the Australian beef industry have been announced as winners of the prestigious CM Hocking Memorial Scholarship from Herefords Australia.
South Australians Georgie Beighton, of Penola, and Sarah Day, of Bordertown, will receive the scholarship bursary to undertake studies to benefit the Australian Hereford industry.
Georgie, 19, is due to start a Bachelor of Animal Science at Charles Sturt University, Wagga, with the aim to progress into a veterinary science course.
“As long as I can remember, when anyone asked me what I wanted to do when I finished school, I told them I wanted to be a vet,’’ she said. “Studying at university and becoming a vet is the only career path I have ever really thought about.’’
Sarah Day, 20, was named as a 2016-17 Herefords Australia Youth Ambassador, and is studying a Bachelor of Agriculture and Business at the University of New England, Armidale, NSW.
Sarah said the use of genomics to increase the accuracy of breeding values, combined with northern and commercial market opportunities presented an exciting future for the breed.
She works part-time in the support team at Practical Systems, Armidale, and this month attended the Hereford judging at the Denver National Western Stock Show in the US.
New PGA Livestock Committee chair
The Pastoralists and Graziers Association has appointed Chris Patmore to replace Digby Stretch as PGA Livestock Committee chair.
Bindi Murray was endorsed to continue as vice chair and will support Chris in his role.
Chris Patmore is a sheep farmer whose property encompasses Eneabba, Morawa and Perenjori, where he runs his 10,000 hectare farm with his wife Robyn. Chris has been an active member of the PGA since 1997 and promises to be a great asset to the organisation and the livestock industry.
PGA President Tony Seabrook said Chris enjoyed widespread respect in the PGA and whilst he has served on the PGA executive since 2013 it was pleasing to see him “step up” to take the role of Committee Chair.
“It is great to see capable people coming forward and that is a trend I intend to foster,” he said.
Tony Seabrook also paid his respect to outgoing Chair, Digby Stretch who has been the Livestock Committee chair since 2010.
“Digby’s leadership over the past six years has been greatly appreciated by all involved in the PGA and the industry in general,” Mr Seabrook said.
Digby Stretch will continue his role in the PGA as Vice President and remain a member of the Livestock Committee. This move will enable Digby to dedicate more time to the PGA supporting the President in his role as Vice President.