Recruitment

People on the Move: Appointments and milestones

Jon Condon January 17, 2025

Sheep Central publishes an occasional summary of appointments, departures and achievements occurring across the red meat and livestock supply chain.

Send details for entries to [email protected]

  • MLA seeks new regional manager for North America
  • Industry veteran Bob Hart notches up a century
  • New chair for Animal Health Australia
  • Beef & Lamb NZ appoints CEO
  • TFI boosts livestock buyers
  • Life membership for Wagyu breeder
  • Further processing manager appointment for ACC
  • Pardoo appoints Wagyu sales lead
  • New COO for Impact Ag Australia
  • AFL star Tom Hawkins joins Nutrien
  • Vale Andrew Swan

MLA to appoint new regional manager for North America

Doug McNicholl is about to complete his three-year term as Meat & Livestock Australia’s regional manager for North America.

He took up the post in April 2022, but will return in July to Australia.

Doug McNicholl

An environmental scientist by training, he previously led MLA’s Sustainability Innovation program, and earlier still, filled a similar role with the Australian Meat Processor Corporation.

During his time in the US, Mr McNicholl has sat on the board of directors of the Meat Importers Council of America, and the Cattlemens’ beef board beef checkoff program. Along with US-produced beef, Australian beef imported into the US is exposed to the $1 a head (equivalent) checkoff fund, designed principally to promote red meat consumption.

Since December, MLA has been carrying out a recruitment process to fill the regional manager’s role, based out of Washington DC.  Applications close today.

The role involves developing and executing comprehensive marketing and market access strategies for Australian beef, lamb and goat meat in the US and Canadian markets.

Industry veteran Bob Hart notches up a century

There’s not too many centenarians working in the Australian beef industry, in fact John Dee’s Bob Hart may be in a club of one.

John Dee’s Bob Hart

He is still an active director of the family-owned John Dee beef processing business near Warwick on Queensland’s southern Darling Downs and has witnessed massive changes in the Australian red meat industry since he joined the family company straight out of the Navy in 1947 – a staggering 78 years ago.

A small gathering of close friends and colleagues was held online to celebrate his 100th birthday yesterday.

The Hart family’s wholesale meat business started in Brisbane in 1939. Some of the company’s early production went into the war effort via the British Ministry of Food’s Bulk Beef Purchase Plan.

The business shifted to Warwick in 1945, having acquired the Warwick Bacon Company processing business with a partner, while continuing as wholesalers through the meat hall at the Government-owned Brisbane abattoir at Cannon Hill.

Bob’s brother, Frank Sr started in the family business in 1945, with Bob joining two years later. Frank Sr was an engineer by trade, while Bob managed operations. Another brother, Barry, who passed away in 2018 aged 96, ran the domestic and export meat sales side of the business.

While Bob has some physical health issues like anybody of his advanced years, he remains mentally alert and eager to participate in progressing the business.

These days, John Dee is principally a service-kill provider for some of Australia’s largest and most prominent Wagyu and Angus beef brands, and as a result, arguably produces the highest average carcase weights of any beef plant in Australia.

Many happy returns, Bob!

New chair for Animal Health Australia

Animal Health Australia has elected a new chairman, following the retirement of  Sharon Starick after five years in the role.

Malcolm Letts

Replacing her as chair is Queenslander Malcolm Letts, who joined the AHA board in 2020. Mr Letts brings many years’ experience in senior executive government roles to the position, with extensive knowledge across biosecurity prevention, preparedness and response measures, policy development and governance.

Animal Health Australia is the nation’s independent national animal health body, bringing together government and industry to deliver animal health and biosecurity – taking a whole-of-sector approach to ensure the long-term success of Australia’s animal health and biosecurity system.

“With Dr Samantha Allan at the helm as AHA chief executive, a talented AHA workforce, a highly skilled and experienced board and the final year of delivery of our current strategy, now was the right time to pass the baton to a new chair,” Ms Starick said.

Whilst stepping down as chair, Ms Starick will remain on the Board continuing to share her expertise and experience.

Mr Letts, a Northern Territorian by birth, said he was honoured to be appointed as chair of the AHA board, suggesting that the national biosecurity system had never been more important to Australia.

“Member confidence in AHA and the critical role it plays is strong and I’m looking forward to working with the AHA Board, leadership team and our members to ensure the long-term success of Australia’s animal health and biosecurity system,” he said.

Mr Letts worked with the Queensland Government for 31 years, with the last 20 years in senior executive roles, including as deputy director-general, agriculture. He was also responsible for the trade and investment area in the department. He was awarded a Public Service Medal in 2023 for his work across policy, integrity, compliance and animal welfare matters.

Beef & Lamb NZ appoints CEO

New Zealand’s equivalent of Meat & Livestock Australia – Beef + Lamb NZ – has appointed a new chief executive officer.

Alan Thomson has taken over the role earlier this month, succeeding Sam McIvor.

Mr Thomson is a director of DataFarming (Australia) and has been an agribusiness consultant for past nine years. He has spent the past three years as director for agribusiness Australia NZ for Hitachi Agricultural Solutions. Earlier he spent two years as innovation manager with Food Agility CRC in Sydney, and a term as Australian general manager for Ravensdown Fertiliser.

“Investing in research, building great teams, products, and services to support sustainable, intergenerational profitability of New Zealand farmers has been the cornerstone of my career,” Mr Thomson said on social media.

“Equally important is the stark awareness of the critical importance of farming and farmers to NZ Inc and it’s underpinning of the NZ economy – around $12 billion in exports from the beef and lamb sector annually and the sector supports 90,000 jobs across the country every year.”

TFI boosts livestock buyers

Major southern beef and sheep meat processor Thomas Foods International has boosted its livestock buying team with two key appointments made late last year.

Tom Bartholomaeus and Nathan Burey have joined TFI’s national team as multispecies buyers.

Both are experienced in their field, come from farming backgrounds and are well known in their respective regions.

Tom, who grew up on a sheep and cattle property near Broken Hill, has worked as a stock agent, producer and in farm management. In his new role he is responsible for Broken Hill and the Riverina, servicing from Ouyen, the Swan Hill markets, Mildura and Hay, up to Ivanhoe, Wilcannia and across Broken Hill.

Nathan, who grew up in Mitchell on the family property and has experience in mixed farming operations, has been buying cattle for more than 15 years. He has an intimate knowledge of the Queensland region and strong local relationships. In his new role, he will be responsible for the Central and South West Queensland region.

Tom Bartholomaeus and Nathan Burey

TFI’s national livestock manager for smallstock, Paul Leonard, said Tom and Nathan were valuable additions to the group’s highly experienced buying team.

“We’re very pleased to have them on board,” Paul said. “They’re both well respected and well connected in agribusiness circles. We look for people of high calibre to join our team and we’ve found the right guys who will fit in well with our culture.

“Their addition as multispecies buyers helps ensure we maintain a broad reach and comprehensive coverage of all major saleyards. It’s all about supporting TFI’s increasing capacity and capabilities in line with our national and international business growth.”

TFI has recently expanded through its new state-of-the-art Murray Bridge beef facility and extensive investment in its processing operations in Stawell and Tamworth.

Scott de Bruin from Mayura Station

Life membership for Wagyu breeder

The Australian Wagyu Association bestowed Honorary Life Membership on South Australian cattle breeder and Wagyu brand developer Scott de Bruin during the organisation’s annual general meeting in December.

A former AWA president and prominent South Australian producer, the de Bruin family’s Mayura business  imported its first fullblood Wagyu cattle in 1998 and has since become a national award-winning business specialising in Fullblood Wagyu beef.

“Scott has been a trailblazer in the Australian Wagyu industry since then,” his tribute said.

He will be officially inducted as a Life Member at the AWA WagyuEdge conference Gala Industry Dinner in Perth on 11 April.

Further processing manager appointment for ACC

Brisbane-based beef processor and vertically integrated supply chain Australian Country Choice has appointed a new further processing general manager.

Josh Smith comes to the ACC business with decades of experience in the meat processing industry, including an impressive 15 years with smallgoods manufacturer Primo. His extensive knowledge and leadership will be key in helping ACC move its value-added operations forward.

Josh is pictured right with ACC’s chief commercial officer Merrick Studders.

Pardoo appoints Wagyu sales lead

Experienced meat sales executive Andrew Dexter has joined Western Australia’s  Pardoo Wagyu as the company’s east coast sales and marketing manager.

Mr Dexter has spent the past six years in Wagyu beef marketing development with Hancock Ag in Brisbane. Prior to that he spent seven years in meat sales management with AA Co and Stanbroke.

Pardoo Wagyu is an innovative Wagyu beef operation based out of Pardoo Station in the Pilbara, under the guidance of investor Bruce Cheung.

The company has invested significantly into the purchase of, as well as supply chain relationships, strong indigenous engagement, cattle, and research. Pardoo Wagyu in six years has gone from a rangeland pastoral business with two pivots and 3500 Santa Gertrudis breeders to 20 pivots with a 14.8GL water allocation. Pardoo Wagyu is building its current 6200 breeding females to a Wagyu herd of 10,000 joined breeders, through organic growth. The business has expanded into the Kimberley region with cattle held at Yarranggi, Yuwa and Mowanjum Stations.

Pardoo Wagyu’s First Growth brand now appears in many international markets including Singapore, China, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam as well as the Australian domestic market, providing full genetics to plate traceability assured for discerning customers.

New COO for Impact Ag Australia

Shane Bodiam started last week with Armidale-based ag investment managers Impact Ag Australia as the company’s new chief operations officer. He will work alongside Impact Ag’s chief executive officer Hugh Killen, managing around 240,000ha of farm assets in Australia and the United States.

Impact Ag Australia’s website says the company provides advanced solutions designed to empower agriculture and nature to thrive together. Championing farming at the nexus of profit and purpose, our nature-positive asset management and innovative natural capital strategies align exceptional financial returns with enduring ecological stewardship.

Mr Bodiam brings more than 30 years of experience in Australian agriculture to the role, with a track record in operational management across diverse agricultural assets. Most recently, he served as Managing Director of Manulife Investment Management, Agricultural Services Australia, where he oversaw $1 billion of investments, including broadacre cropping, almonds, macadamias, and premium wine grapes.

His strategic insight and hands-on approach will be instrumental in driving value creation for Impact Ag’s managed assets while supporting the company’s mission to unlock lasting environmental and financial outcomes, the company said in a statement.

AFL star Tom Hawkins joins Nutrien

Geelong Cats AFL superstar Tom Hawkins has joined national ag services provider Nutrien Ag Solutions. The three-time AFL premiership player and Geelong games record holder brings his trademark discipline, ethics, and talent to his new role as Livestock Representative within the Nutrien Ag Solutions livestock team.

“I am thrilled to join the team in green and am looking forward to working with the farming customers that are the heart of the agriculture industry,” Mr Hawkins said.

Mr Hawkins’ decision to join Nutrien Ag Solutions reflects his dedication to the agricultural sector and his desire to contribute to its growth.

“This role with Nutrien offers me a unique and exciting opportunity to challenge myself in a new way and enter an industry that is meaningful to me,” he said.

Nutrien’s East Region Livestock and Wool Manager Adam Mountjoy welcomed Mr Hawkins, highlighting the investment that Nutrien makes in the continual development and training of their livestock agents.

“Tom brings a lifelong passion for farming to our business and is a welcome addition to our team of livestock specialists supporting producers. We know Tom is excited about his entry into agriculture post football and we look forward to fostering his development in livestock marketing. Our team can also learn a lot from Tom specifically around high performance, dedication and excellence at your chosen craft,” Mr Mountjoy said.

Vale Andrew Swan

Chief Scientist at the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit in Armidale, Professor Andrew Swan, passed away on 14 December after a tragic road accident.

‘Swanny’, as he was known, had a profound impact on the development of BreedPlan evaluation and was instrumental in forging stronger relationships between Agricultural Business Research Institute and AGBU in his role as chief scientist.

Andrew Swan

A keen road cyclist Prof Swan was racing with his Armidale cycling team on a remote road outside Armidale as he had done many times before on a Saturday afternoon, when four of the cyclists were tragically hit by a car. He died at the scene.

Colleagues said Andrew was a giant in his field of animal breeding and sheep genetics research globally.

“He combined capability with humility, two traits that don’t often trend together but are both required for meaningful impact in industry outcomes and also in the lives of those he worked with,” one colleague said.

Having grown up in the Riverina region of NSW, he attended the University of New England, graduating in 1986 with first class honours in Rural Science. His honours research project was on crossbreeding Hereford and Simmental cattle, and with that background he joined the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit as a PhD student studying multibreed genetic evaluation methods under the supervision of Hans Graser and Brian Kinghorn.

Following his PhD studies, he moved to the CSIRO Animal Production laboratory at Chiswick near Armidale and began a long career in sheep breeding. At the time the industry was dealing with the crash of the reserve price scheme and an over-supply of stockpiled wool, so the focus of breeding research turned to improving wool quality using new objective measurement technology.

At the same time Andrew was participating in the development of the breeder-led system of sire evaluation trials run by the Australian Merino Sire Evaluation Association (AMSEA). Working with the Advanced Breeding Services group of NSW Agriculture (now NSW DPIRD), he contributed to the across-flock evaluations published in Merino Superior Sires from the early 1990s. As a result of this involvement Andrew joined the Sheep Genetics Technical Committee in 2004 which developed the first industry-wide Merino genetic evaluation launched as MerinoSelect in 2005. Following this landmark industry achievement, Andrew joined AGBU in 2006 to continue working on sheep evaluation systems delivered through Meat & Livestock Australia’s Sheep Genetics service.

In 2022, Andrew was the first to step into a new Chief Scientist role for AGBU where he had greater reach across the genetic improvement portfolio including influence on beef evaluations through BreedPlan. Most recently Andrew was quite energised working with the AGBU team he mentored to develop a combined LAMBPLAN evaluation including both Maternal and Terminal sheep.

He was also looking forward to push the frontier on multi-breed genetic evaluations for beef cattle, coming back to the roots of his PhD.

Andrew’s talents were broad and besides a deep understanding of genetic evaluation methods and programming he was also quite talented in multiple-trait economic selection decisions and recently built a new platform called BIODEX to better model animal growth and feed requirements, which is going to be critical to breed for lower emissions.

‘Swanny’ will be remembered not just for his scientific acumen but for those that had the pleasure of his company, his dry wit and strong commitment to make sure those around him were enjoying life.

 

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