Our Director nomination process

There are three Board vacancies at this year’s Annual General Meeting in November. These comprise two positions for Directors with milk producer skills and experience and one position for a Director with Agribusiness, Innovation and Change Management skills.

Our nomination process is set out in the Dairy Australia Constitution, which sets out the role of a Board Selection Committee and tasks this committee with recommending to the Board a suitable person for each vacancy.

The Board Selection Committee is created each year after receiving nominations from Group B members; two nominations from Australian Dairy Farmers (John Versteden and Victoria Taylor) and two nominations from Australian Dairy Products Federation (Steve Oldridge and Corrie Goodwin). Paul Wood, a Dairy Australia Director, chaired the committee.

We advertise the vacancies and then set up different streams of activity for milk producer Directors and other Director vacancies.

The shortlisting and subsequent selection of candidates is based on a Board Skills Matrix which is regularly reviewed by the Board to ensure that Directors meet the future needs of Dairy Australia and deliver on its strategic priorities in support of dairy farming. The skills identified as required by this year’s candidates were circulated in a letter sent to all levy payers at the end of May, which announced the opening of the nomination process.

Fourteen milk producers applied for the two vacant positions. Due to the number of applications, a Pre-Selection Committee was formed which shortlisted potential candidates. The Pre-Selection Committee comprised Victoria Taylor (ADF Director), Michael Partridge (ADF National councillor & WA dairy committee chair), John Hunt (SADA President, ADF National Councillor) and John Versteden (ADF Director) as Chair. This ensured that milk producer applications were assessed by people with a strong understanding of the skills and experience required for the role.

Eight interviews were then held by the Board Selection Committee and unanimously recommended two applicants for the role: Tania Luckin (a current director who re-applied for the role) and Paul Roderick (a new applicant).

Seventy-four applications were received for the vacant position for a Director with Agribusiness, Innovation and Change Management skills. Rimfire Resources was enlisted to assist in the recruitment and selection process and the Board Selection Committee interviewed a short list of six candidates. Roseanne Healy was unanimously recommended for the vacant position (Roseanne is a current director who re-applied for the role).

The Dairy Australia Board accepted the recommendations of the Board Selection Committee and supports the applications of Tania Luckin, Paul Roderick and Roseanne Healy for Director elections.

David Beca, Carlie Barry and Phil Ryan will also stand as candidates after their nominations were supported by at least 100 Group A members of Dairy Australia (farmer levy payers). This is an alternative path to election as a Director under Dairy Australia’s Constitution outside of the Board Selection Committee nomination process.

To be successfully elected to the Board, each nominated candidate will require more than 50% of the votes cast at our online Annual General Meeting on 27 November 2020. For more information visit our Annual General Meeting page.