AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION AUSTRALIA - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Finance and Business Services Manager

Annabelle has over 20 years' experience in accounting and finance, developing and implementing financial reporting systems and key operational processes to enable effective business decision making and forecasting. She has worked across a broad range of industries and sectors including not for profits and charity, IT services, recruitment and training, and most recently, agriculture. Throughout her career, Annabelle has worked in small and large enterprises, has developed and integrated financial systems, provided cashflow and budget analysis, managed audits and participated in cross-functional projects. She has significant experience in strategic business decision making, managing staff, payroll and HR processes, financial management of large events, audit and risk analysis and financial and statutory reporting. Annabelle graduated with a Bachelor of Business majoring in accounting, with a marketing specialisation and is a CPA member.

Anne currently chairs the Boards of Australia's Food Agility Co-operative Research Centre, the Sir William Angliss Institute of TAFE (WAI), Dairy Food Safety Victoria (DFSV), and Good Shepherd Australia New Zealand. She is Deputy Chair of the New Zealand Food Safety Science and Research Centre and a Non-Executive Director of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation and Sheep Producers Australia. She has previously held positions as Chair and President of the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology, non-Executive Director of Australian Dairy Farmers Ltd., Dairy Australia and the Melbourne Royal Botanic Gardens. She was the inaugural CEO of Dairy Food Safety Victoria prior to which she held senior executive positions in the Victorian government. Her services to Australia's dairy industry, food regulation and rural women have been recognised through being awarded an Order of Australia Medal, a Public Service Medal and receiving Australia's Dairy Industry Association's John Bryant Gold Medal and the Australian Dairy Industry Council's Outstanding Service Award. She is an inductee of Victoria's Women's Honour Roll for her work in biochemistry and as an advocate for women's leadership.

Job Titles:

• Specialist

Liesel is a specialist consultant with over 20 years of financial, compliance, governance and leadership experience. She brings a valuable combination of international commercial and RDC experience to AIA. Liesel's international background and her recent role as Chief Commercial Officer & Company Secretary for LiveCorp, one of Australia's 15 rural Research and Development Corporations (RDCs), bring together commercial, financial, and agricultural contexts to answer the unique challenges and opportunities across AIA and Australian agriculture. She has significant experience in strategic business decision-making, governance, compliance, financial management, risk analysis and financial and statutory reporting. Liesel graduated with a Bachelor of Accounting Science and then attained her membership to the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants in the UK. She added the CPA qualification in Australia and went on to complete the Advanced Leadership Program before becoming a member and graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Job Titles:

• Chairman of Australian Pork Limited

Andrew is an experienced business, marketing and communications professional who has worked with large companies, brands and government bodies in advisory and executive capacities. Andrew is Chair of Australian Pork Limited, is the Deputy Chair of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and is a Non-Executive Director of GrowthOps, BirdDog (ASX), Foresters Financial, Nettlefold, Hypetap, OzHarvest and The Queen's Fund. He is also a Senior Advisor at BGH Capital and an Adjunct Professor of Marketing at the University of Sydney. Andrew was previously the Senior Advisor to KPMG's Customer, Brand and Marketing Advisory business, and prior to this, he successfully led major professional services firms for over a decade - as the CEO of two of the country's largest communications agencies, Publicis and Ogilvy, where he was a trusted counsel to many of Australia's most iconic brands, as well as State and Federal Governments.

Job Titles:

• CEO
• Director
• Managing Director
• Non - Executive Director

Ian is an experienced Director, Managing Director, and CEO with a track record of delivering sustained growth and performance in large, complex organisations. He has experience operating in domestic, mature and emerging international markets, and across infrastructure, risk management, government relations and regulation, governance, innovation, manufacturing, B2B marketing, purchasing and supply chain management. He was formerly the Australian Consul-General Dubai & Northern Emirates, UAE & General Manager, Australian Trade & Investment Commission - Middle East, Africa & Pakistan. Ian's previous roles include Managing Director of Dairy Australia and CEO of KR Castlemaine Foods. During his time at Dairy Australia, Ian was instrumental in driving the development of the Australian Dairy Industry Sustainability framework.

Job Titles:

• Non - Executive Director

Kathy is an experienced non-executive director on boards across a range of industries, with a strong focus on agribusiness and financial services. She is a current director and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee for GrainCorp Limited.

Nada has over 20 years' experience in a career spanning the corporate, academic and start-up sectors. Her roles have included business development, relationship management, economic modelling and developing strategies for the translation of technology from R&D through to commercialisation. She has a strong commercial and entrepreneurial mindset fuelled by a drive for continuous business improvement and a passion for making a difference. She has a proven track record of delivering solutions for complex business issues through business modelling and research (statistical and regulatory) and her extensive experience in relationship management and business analysis. Nada graduated with a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics from the University of Sydney, and a Master of Commerce, majoring in Finance, from the University of NSW.

Job Titles:

• Chief Executive Officer

Born and raised on a mixed farming operation in the Riverina of New South Wales, Sam has a deep appreciation of the issues and challenges faced by the agricultural sector. Sam graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science. He worked for six years across a range of divisions and regulatory authorities within the now Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, where he gained exposure to both federal and state legislative development and policy issues across a range of controversial issues including; single desk reform, equine influenza and industry structural adjustment programs. As CEO of LiveCorp for nine years, Sam led the delivery of research, development, and extension services, as well as raised the international profile of Australia's livestock export industry. During his time at LiveCorp, he successfully engaged, developed and managed a network of domestic and international commercial and diplomatic relationships. He has extensive experience in strategy development, research and project design, corporate affairs, crisis management and stakeholder extension and adoption planning.

Sarah has over 25 years' experience developing and implementing strategies to help companies and individuals market and communicate effectively. She has worked across a broad range of industries and sectors including IT hardware, software, consulting, financial services, government, academia and most recently, agriculture. Throughout her career, Sarah has developed product, marketing and communications strategies for unique and challenging scenarios that require creative and adaptive approaches. She has significant experience in managing strategic partnerships, stakeholder relations, brand, communications and strategy development. Sarah graduated with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in media and communications and holds a Certificate in Governance for Not-for-Profits.