Current employment/positions:
As well as being a director of Australian Wool Innovation Ltd for the past five years, I am currently a non-executive director of Saab Systems Pty Ltd and Pacific Marine Batteries Pty Ltd. I am a former director of Vision Systems Ltd and a former chairman of LADS Corporation Ltd. I was a director of Woolstock Australia Ltd and I am a woolgrower and cattle producer in the mid-north and pastoral areas of South Australia.
Q: What specific skills do you bring to the board?
A: I bring to the board a successful career track record in science, international business and professional wool growing. I run more than 30,000 sheep in SA and NSW from medium rainfall through to the pastoral regions in NSW. I have an extensive knowledge of wool production and support sheep farmers having competition for surplus sheep with a strong and vibrant live export industry. Most of my working life has been in the management and commercialisation of Research and Development both within Australia and internationally. On the AWI board, I currently chair the finance and audit committee and the intellectual property and commercialisation committee.
Q: Why should growers trust you on your corporate track record?
A: I have been involved in the development of clips and other alternatives to mulesing over the past three years and have donated all intellectual property in these developments to AWI. I have no vested interest in any alternatives being progressed or supported by AWI, nor have I gained any financial benefit from my involvement in these developments.
The AWI Board must settle down to the task of providing clear strategic direction to the management and staff, free of factional and vested interests. We may well have vigorous internal debate on many issues, but AWI has an over-riding obligation to invest levy funds to the benefit of all Australian Woolgrowers and to do this effectively we must work together at Board level free of factional influences.
Our investments on behalf of growers must be reasoned, balanced and effective. I support a balance of investment by AWI – both market support and
on-farm research and development are required to improve the profitability and sustainability of Australian woolgrowers.
Q: What is your assessment of AWI and what would you change if anything?
A: This is an extremely important annual general meeting for all AWI shareholders. The urgent need to meet our current production challenges and improve demand for Australian wool in the current climate of global economic downturn requires all the stability we can muster for effective management of our R&D and marketing company.
AWI today is a very different company with the responsibilities that come with the integration of Woolmark and the commitment made to refresh and extend the Woolmark for the benefit of Australian woolgrowers.
The current model of promoting Australian merino by working with and providing innovation to the major brands makes great sense – we must target the application of market support funds carefully and the business-to-business approach now in place at AWI does this well. The marketing and licensing
strategy developed to re-invigorate and extend the Woolmark is sound, well thought out and ambitious.
The structures in place worldwide to support Australian wool, including the key account managers and the innovations underway to bring increased utility and applicability of Australian Merino to all garment sectors are first-class and are already having a significant impact with many retailers.
Q: What is your definition of a conflict of interest at board level?
A: The principal duty of any company director is to act first and foremost in the interests of the organisation he or she is directing. A conflict of interest arises when a Board member’s personal or business interests clash with their obligations to the company.
Q: What is your stance on mulesing?
A: The commitment by industry representatives to phase out mulesing by December 2010 is real and your customers expect this commitment to be honoured. AWI must continue to research and develop a replacement for surgical mulesing to provide the broadest possible range of alternatives to woolgrowers. We have to accept that mulesing is no longer an acceptable practice to our customers – retailers and consumers.
It is important that woolgrowers understand that no-one is saying, “Let your sheep get flystrike.” We will have options before 2010 and the aim is that they are cheaper than the current operation with or without pain relief. As a woolgrower, I care for my sheep and that is important – healthy sheep.
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