Dairy Australia's Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held online on Tuesday, November 23, from 11am.
The AGM will be an opportunity for dairy farmers and industry stakeholders, to hear more on where the dairy service levy is invested, key highlights from the past year and the benefit this delivers to dairy farmers and the wider industry.
Dairy Australia's farmer members will have the opportunity to vote on director elections and constitutional changes.
RELATED READING:
This year the proposed constitutional changes are aimed at making it easier for farmers to participate and vote at future AGMs.
There will be an opportunity to ask questions of the board and leadership team.
Directors standing for election
James Mann
James has served two terms on the board of Dairy Australia.
During this time, he has contributed strongly to strategic input on projects such as DairyBio and DataGene along with leadership in the formation of Australian Dairy Plan.
James will bring to the board strategic leadership and strong industry engagement.
"During the past six years as a Dairy Australia board member I have maintained focus on industry productivity, innovation and sustainability to ensure a strong future for the dairy supply chain," Mr Mann said.
"Governance and risk are areas I've developed over my time with the Dairy Australia board, and I appreciate the importance of ensuring as a board and business that fiduciary, governance and legal obligations are met.
"If elected to the Dairy Australia board I will continue my best efforts to make strategic investment decisions for our levy and the future of the industry."
Simone Jolliffe
Simone and her husband established their herd in 2001 as sharefarmers, purchasing the family's property in 2008 near Wagga Wagga, NSW, where they milk 250 cows.
Simone has held a range of industry roles at local, state and national level over many years.
They include Australian Dairy Farmers, Dairy NSW and DataGene Boards, Sustainability Framework Steering Committee and NSW Primary Industry Minister's Advisory Council.
"I believe I can leverage my experiences and learnings to add value and a farmer's perspective to support the work of our levies at Dairy Australia," Mrs Jolliffe said.
"As a levy payer, I expect Dairy Australia to be accountable: its work must be evaluated and continuously improved upon to ensure our levy investment is effective.
"I believe my farm involvement, industry roles, governance experience and personal values would enable me to represent my fellow farmers in such areas and make a valuable contribution if successfully appointed to the Dairy Australia board."
Russell Abotomey
Russell Abotomey has held senior executive roles in leadership, sales and marketing, product promotion, product development and innovation and supply chain, with Kraft Foods, Fonterra Co-operative Group, CSR Sugar and Murray Goulburn Co-operative.
Russell currently consults with Gordian Global Solutions working with senior executive teams on leadership and strategic planning.
Russell has strong financial experience and held an executive director position at Mainland Dairies (now Fonterra Australia) and non-executive director positions for the Australian Sugar Milling Council and the Danone Murray Goulburn joint venture.
"I believe that Australian dairy farms and farmers are the lifeblood of the dairy industry and caring for your livelihood is fundamental to the industry's long-term success," Mr Abotomey said.
"Ultimately, I believe that enhancing the profitability of dairy farms is the key.
"This will not only reassure existing owners, investors but also attract new people, skills and investment to sustain and grow the Australian Dairy Industry.
"Only through better understanding where value is created and shared throughout the entire supply chain can we restore trust between all parties.
"I believe that my commercial experience combined with care for farmers will provide valuable input into Dairy Australia's strategic direction."
Dairy Australia members, levy payers and guests are invited to join.
Dairy Australia's Annual Report and Performance Report for 2020/21 are now available and can be found at: dairyaustralia.com.au/agm
Further information about Dairy Australia's AGM 2021 and instructions on how to join can also be found at: dairyaustralia.com.au/agm
Want to read more stories like this?
Sign up below to receive our e-newsletter delivered fresh to your email in-box twice a week.
