Love can take you many places – and for Jo Saunders, milking cows to spend more time with her dairy farming husband has evolved into an appointment as Western Dairy’s latest Regional Manager.

Originally from Canterbury in New Zealand, Ms Saunders met her husband Nick in 2006.

“I was relief milking on weekends to spend more time with Nick before eventually taking on other responsibilities such as calf-rearing and accounts,” Ms Saunders said.

After managing dairy farms in New Zealand, the couple crossed the Tasman to Mount Gambier, South Australia, in 2011 and continued to manage a dairy farm there.

In 2013, the couple settled in Western Australia’s South West, with Ms Saunders taking on an administrative role with Landmark before commencing at South West Community Care, where she has held the role of Chief Executive Officer for the past two years.

After several years away from dairying, Ms Saunders is keen to be a part of the industry once again.

“I have missed the dairying side of things. It is bloody hard work being a dairy farmer, and I want to contribute to ensuring the profitability and sustainability of WA’s dairy industry,” she said.

Chair of the Western Dairy Board, Robin Lammie, is pleased to have Ms Saunders in the Regional Manager role.

“Jo was a stand-out candidate for Regional Manager. Her dairy farming background combined with skills gained from previous roles, makes her an asset to leading the Western Dairy team while ensuring the interests of our WA dairy farmers remain at the forefront,” Mr Lammie said.

Along with her new role at Western Dairy, Ms Saunders is a mother-of-two and is studying a Bachelor of Commerce in Project Management at Edith Cowan University.

Ms Saunders commences at Western Dairy on Monday 7 November 2022.