Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) members will be asked to elect one new Director and re-elect two existing Directors of MLA at the service company's upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Tamworth on 20 November 2019.
MLA members will be receiving MLA AGM packs which were mailed out last week including voting entitlements and proxy forms, along with a copy of the 2018-19 MLA Annual Report if requested, providing an open and transparent insight into MLA's activities, performance and financial information.
As required under MLA's constitution, one third of the Board must retire at the conclusion of the AGM. The retiring Directors, whose terms expire at this year's AGM, are Dr Michele Allan, Rob Fitzpatrick and Erin Gorter.
Dr Allan will retire from the Board and Mr Fitzpatrick and Ms Gorter, who have both been Directors since November 2015, applied for re-election.
The red meat industry's nine-person Selection Committee called for nominations to fill the three vacancies and interviewed a shortlist of potential candidates from a pool of 133 highly skilled applicants through a rigorous selection process.
As a result of this process, the Selection Committee has endorsed new nominee John Lloyd, along with Mr Fitzpatrick and Ms Gorter for election as Directors of MLA.
MLA has a skills-based Board and in line with specific requirements this year, candidates with extensive skills and experience in at least one of the following areas were encouraged to apply:
- Knowledge and connections across the agri-food ecosystem including RDC sector, government and research providers, and demonstrated experience in food value adding
- Extensive experience in technology and innovation, logistics, data and integrity systems, entrepreneurship and legal
- Broad production experience, running a multi-faceted enterprise with a proven track record in strategic thinking and precision agriculture.
In addition to the specific skills sought, all candidates were assessed based on their understanding of the Australian red meat and livestock industry, business acumen, financial literacy and understanding of corporate governance. The Selection Committee also considered applicants' ability to collaboratively contribute to strategic and Board discussion.
MLA Managing Director Jason Strong acknowledged and thanked retiring Director Dr Michele Allan for her service to the MLA Board since 2011, and in particular as MLA Chair since 2013.
"Dr Allan has made a significant contribution not only to MLA through disciplined governance and strategic insight but to the broader red meat industry during her time on the MLA Board. As Chair, Dr Allan has been at the forefront of driving the strategic direction of MLA - ensuring MLA delivers value for levy-payers and our industry in the short-term, while looking forward at the opportunities and challenges to prepare our industry for the future," Mr Strong said.
"On behalf of the company, I thank her for her critical contribution and commitment to our industry."
In anticipation of Dr Allan's retirement from the MLA Board and as part of its succession planning, the MLA Board has elected Alan Beckett as MLA's next Chair. He will commence in the role following the MLA AGM on 20 November.
Registrations open for Red Meat 2019
MLA's AGM will be held in conjunction with the red meat industry's flagship event, Red Meat 2019, which runs from 18-20 November in Tamworth.
The event is open to all red meat producers and industry stakeholders and there is no charge to attend, however, registration is essential via redmeat.mla.com.au
Biographies of Director nominees
John Lloyd BSc, MBA
John Lloyd with his family runs a small agricultural enterprise at Borenore, near Orange, NSW. He has a deep understanding of red meat industry dynamics, knowledge and connections across the agri-food ecosystem including the RDC sector, government and research providers. John has led and created new funding models that have catered for longer-term strategic issues such as export markets, biosecurity, health and nutrition, pollination, major pests, intensive farming systems and urban greening as well as accessing broader and non-traditional sources of investment. John has also
completed the Company Directors course with the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is the former CEO of Horticulture Innovation Australia/HAL, leading both organisations over a nine-year period of significant growth, change and transition. He is a director of Fisheries RDC, Agribusiness Australia and Menari Business Solutions Pty Ltd.
Previous roles:
John Lloyd has broad experience across the Australian agribusiness sector with previous roles in senior leadership positions including Managing Director of Case IH/New Holland ANZ; General Manager of Commercial Incitec Pivot; and General Manager of Merchandise Wesfarmers Dalgety.
Robert Fitzpatrick BEc, LLB, MBA, GAICD
Director since November 2015
Mr Fitzpatrick is an industry and technology expert with more than 30 years' experience in senior executive roles across the spectrum of large corporates, government agencies, small and medium enterprises and start-ups. He has a detailed understanding of industry representative bodies, research and higher education, retail, fast-moving consumer goods, telecommunications, and information and communications technology sectors. Mr Fitzpatrick has a passion for improving the integrity and efficiency of Australia's agricultural sector, applying new analytics to improve on-farm productivity, open up supply chains and reduce the cost of moving product from farm gate to global markets. Mr Fitzpatrick is director of the Australian Academic and Research Network, and as at 30 June 2019 was CEO of Gelion UK and Gelion technologies, a leading provider of battery storage for the renewable energy sector. Mr Fitzpatrick is Chair of Integrity Systems Company Limited and a Director of Meat & Livestock Australia Limited.
Previous roles:
Previous board and senior executive roles include McKinsey & Company, Optus, ShopFast, Monitoring Division Inc and wishlist.com.au, councillor of Charles Sturt University, senior executive of Data61 (formerly NICTA) and CEO of Australian Information Industry Association.
Erin Gorter BA (Education) GAICD
Director since November 2015
Ms Gorter is a rural industry consultant with many years of experience as a WA livestock producer. Ms Gorter comes from a farming background and was a landholder and involved in running a mixed farming operation in Kojonup, WA, producing prime lamb, wool and grains, conducting sheep trading and a small amount of agroforestry for nearly 30 years. Ms Gorter runs her own business in providing business and industry management advice and events planning in rural areas. She was awarded the WA RIRDC Rural Women's Award Runner Up in 2010 and is a Director of AgVivo. Ms Gorter is a Director of Meat & Livestock Australia Limited, MLA Donor Company Limited and Integrity Systems Company Limited, is Chair of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.
Previous roles:
Producer representative on the Board of the WA Meat Industry Authority and managed all aspects of two WA-based grower production groups.
