NCWSBA executive director Chris Wilcox at the council’s centenary celebrations last year.

INTERNATIONALLY respected wool market analyst Chris Wilcox will retire as executive director of the National Council of Wool Selling Brokers of Australia next month.

Mr Wilcox, 62, has been the council’s executive director since March 2008 and has announced he will retire on 30 April.

Paul Deane.

His replacement, agricultural economist Paul Deane, will start in the position on 3 May.

Mr Wilcox said he will be doing some consultancy work in his retirement, but he and his wife Kathy are keen to spend more time with family in Australia and overseas.

“I have enjoyed my time with NCWSBA enormously and have found it tremendously rewarding. While I have worked in the Australian wool industry since 1992, my 13 years with NCWSBA has, without doubt, been my favourite time,” he said.

“One of my most cherished memories will be the highly successful NCWSBA Centenary events that we held in February 2020, with the Centenary auction followed by the Centenary cocktail reception in Melbourne.

“Over the 13 years, I have worked with many excellent wool industry people, on the board, among the NCWSBA members and those who work in the industry,” Mr Wilcox said.

“I have made life-long friends, for which I am very grateful.”

Mr Wilcox said he would like to thank the current NCWSBA board for their support and friendship, and particularly thank the six presidents of NCWSBA with whom I have worked closely: Robert Ryan AM, Matt Pedersen, Kym Gunn, Simon Hogan, John Colley and Rowan Woods.”

Wilcox a driving force for NCWSBA

Current NCWSBA president Rowan Woods said Chris Wilcox has been the driving force for NCWSBA on the many issues that the industry has faced in the 13 years he has held the executive director, ensuring that the views of its members were heard loudly and clearly.

“These issues have included the National Wool Declaration, including the introduction of the NWD in 2008 and AWEX’s triennial reviews of the NWD, and supporting the uptake of the NWD.”

“Chris also supported the NCWSBA Board in developing its policies regarding the management of flystrike and NCWSBA’s more recent policy supporting the mandatory use of anaesthetic and analgesic when mulesing,” Mr Woods said.

“Other important issues over the past 13 years on which Chris has worked include working with other industry organisations during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 to ensure the continuation of wool auctions and the annual review of the Wool Selling Program and pushing for more selling weeks each year.

“Chris has been highly innovative for NCWSBA, in particular leading the introduction in 2012 of the annual NCWSBA Wool Broker Award and administering the award each year,” Mr Woods said.

“The award, sponsored by Sheep Central and AWTA, recognises younger wool brokers who make significant contributions to our industry.”

Mr Woods said other key innovations introduced by Chris Wilcox have been the development and launch of the NCWSBA website in 2008 and its update in 2016, as well as developing the NCWSBA wool broking historical displays at the Sydney and Melbourne Wool Selling Centres with the help of our sponsors (AWTA, AWH and AWEX).

“Chris has also authored the well-known NCWSBA Weekly Newsletter since it began in 2008, with its keen analysis of global influences on the wool market and latest industry news.”

Mr Woods said Chris Wilcox has been instrumental in raising the profile of NCWSBA and its members in Australia and internationally, at the annual Congress of the International Wool Textile Organisation and at the annual Nanjing Wool Market Conferences.

“He has been involved in many other activities and achievements over the past 13 years.”

Mr Woods said Paul Deane will bring his excellent experience as an agricultural economist to the NCWSBA role.

Mr Deane has worked at The Woolmark Company, the ANZ Bank and the Victorian Department of Agriculture. He is currently working as a lecturer in agricultural economics and agribusiness at the University of Melbourne.

“On behalf of the NCWSBA board and members, I would like to thank Chris for his hard work, his successes and his attention to the needs of the organisation. We wish him all the best in his retirement,” Mr Woods said.