Our board

Mr John Woods BAppSc. MAICD: Chair (Non-executive)

New South Wales/Queensland

Appointed: 8 March 2012 to 30 September 2017. Appointed as Chair: 1 October 2016 to 30 September 2019

John is partner and manager of a broadacre agribusiness based in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. He has responsibility for all business aspects, including financial management, production and crop husbandry, marketing and logistics, resource management and work health and safety. He is also Chair of R&R Hire Services in Queensland.

John has a history of working collaboratively with a range of public and private organisations in the development, extension and adoption of new technology.

He was Chairman of the Science Advisory Group of the National Agricultural Monitoring System (NAMS) between 2005 and 2009, and a member of the NAMS Advisory Reference Group and Steering Committee. He also spent six years, to 2005, on the National Rural Advisory Council.

John was Chairman of ChemCert Training Queensland from 2002 to 2004 and has held positions with Cotton Australia and Farmsafe Queensland.

Sharon Starick

Director (Non-executive)

South Australia

Appointed: 30 November, 2018

A grain and pork producer from South Australia, Sharon Starick has combined primary production interests with conservation and natural resource management. Sharon is highly active on and off the farm in a range of areas including senior roles in natural resource management and has worked as a Landcare officer with PIRSA, executive officer to three Soil Conservation Boards and the Soil Boards CARE Committee. Sharon has served on the Mallee Sustainable Farming Board, Pork Industry Development Board, Natural Resource Management Council and Community Advisory Committee for the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council. She is a graduate of the Murray-Darling Basin Leadership Program and the AICD CDC.

Dr Helen Garnett PSM, BSc (Hons), PhD, FTSE, FAICD

Director (Non-executive)

Northern Territory

Appointed: 4 November 2014, reappointed to 30 September 2020

Helen is an accomplished director and leader, building on an earlier research career, including with the agriculture industry, in pathogenesis and the development of diagnostics. She was awarded the Public Service Medal (2004) and the Centenary Medal (2000) for scientific and institutional leadership.

Helen is Chair of Generator Property Management. She is a non-executive director of Sugar Research Australia, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research, the Crawford Fund, Developing East Arnhem, and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory.

Helen was previously Chair of the Australian Biosecurity Intelligence Network and Delta Electricity; a non-executive director of the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation; a director of Energy Resources of Australia Ltd, Carbon Energy Limited, and ABM Resources; Vice-Chancellor of Charles Darwin University; and Chief Executive of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation.

Ms Roseanne Healy BA(Econ), MBA, MBR(Com), GAICD

Director (Non-executive)

South Australia

Appointed: 4 November 2014, reappointed to 30 September 2020

Roseanne has over 20 years of corporate advisory experience and expertise in strategy, investment analysis, due diligence and corporate governance; starting her career as an economics and market research analyst with a number of Australia’s ASX 200.  Later; a tribunal member for the Office of Consumer and Business Affairs (South Australia) and CEO of SA Great, she influenced South Australia’s economic credentials for investment attraction, spanning agriculture, aquaculture, food and wine, technology and infrastructure.

Roseanne is Chair of Vinehealth Australia, Dairysafe and Peninsula Leisure Pty Ltd and a non-executive director of Airborne Research Australia Ltd, Enterprise Corporation Pty Ltd, GP Partners Australia and Nyamba Buru Yawuru Ltd.

Previously a director of the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, Great Artesian Oil & Gas Ltd, Maximus Resources, Marmota Energy Ltd, Tidewater Funds Management Ltd and HomeStart Finance.

Ms Dianne Angus BSc (Ed), BSc (Hons), M Biotech, Grad Dip IP, MAICD

Director (Non-executive)

Victoria

Appointed: 1 October 2017 to 30 September 2020

Dianne has worked as an executive within the biotechnology industry for over twenty years. She has held senior positions including management of the Joint Venture alliance between Florigene (Aust) and Suntory (Japan) to yield and commercialise floricultural products and as Chief Operating Officer of Prana Biotechnology to design and develop novel neurological agents.

Dianne’s career is marked by her passion to build competitive product portfolios, through investment in innovative research to end stage product commercialisation. She has created global industry - academic partnerships to yield novel and competitive medical, pharmaceutical and agricultural product candidates.

Dianne has negotiated many commercial licenses and product development agreements, with entities ranging from large pharmaceutical and agrichemical companies to numerous global research institutes. With over fifteen years’ experience in an ASX and NASDAQ listed company, she has expertise in business development, regulatory, intellectual property and finance, together with strong corporate governance and compliance capabilities.

Professor Chris Blanchard BAppSci (Hons I), PhD

Director (Non-executive)

New South Wales

Appointed: 1 October 2017 to 30 September 2020

Chris has had a long association with the grains industry and GRDC. Chris completed a GRDC funded PhD in Plant Molecular Biology/Virology, he then went on to complete the Australian Rural Leadership Program as a GRDC sponsored participant.

Chris has spent more than twenty years leading various research projects aimed at increasing the profitability of grain production. Currently, he leads an Australian Research Council Research Centre focused on research that aims to transform the Australian grains industry. Additionally he is involved in research aimed at improving outcomes for farmers in developing countries.

Chris has served on various industry and academic committees including the GrainGrowers Ltd policy group and the International Year of the Pulse National Committee. He also served as Chair of the RACI Cereal Chemistry Division for two years. He is a currently a member of the Australian Academy of Sciences National Committee for Agriculture, Fisheries.

Mr Richard Heath BSc (Hons) GAICD

Director (Non-executive)

New South Wales

Appointed: 1 October 2017 to 30 September 2020

Richard grew up on a family farm on the Liverpool Plains in North West NSW. He managed the cropping operations of the farm for nearly two decades. Crops grown included wheat, barley, chickpeas, faba beans, canola, sorghum, sunflowers, mung beans and cotton. Richard has been an early adopter of new farming technologies and travelled on a Nuffield Scholarship in 2003 researching precision applications of fertiliser.

Richard is now the General Manager of Research for the Australian Farm Institute where he is responsible for carrying out research projects and compiling reports on a broad range of farm and agriculture related issues. Prior to this role Richard was Associate Professor of Agronomy and Farm Management at the University of Sydney responsible for management of the Universities North West farms group including the Plant Breeding Institute at Narrabri. Richard was a member of the Northern Panel of the GRDC from 2005 – 2011 and was a director of Nuffield Australia Farming Scholars from 2011 – 2017.

Dr Steve Jefferies AM, BAgSc, PhD, GAICD

Managing Director

Australian Capital Territory

Appointed: 4 July 2016

Steve has more than 30 years of experience working in the Australian grains industry, mostly in research management, prior to joining the GRDC as Managing Director in 2016.

Steve was CEO of Australian Grain Technologies, Australia’s largest and market-leading wheat-breeding company, from its inception in 2002 until June 2016. From 1996 to 2002, Steve was a wheat breeder, barley breeder and senior lecturer at the University of Adelaide. From 1984 to 1996, Steve held positions in research management and ministerial liaison in the South Australian Government.

Steve has also been Chairman of the Australian End Point Royalty Steering Committee, a non-executive director of Birchip Cropping Group and Barley Australia, and a member of the Waite Institute Strategic Leadership Group and the Wheat Quality Classification Council of Wheat Quality Australia.

In June 2016, Steve was appointed Member of the Order of Australia for his significant services to primary industry.

Professor Stephen Powles BSc, MSc, PhD, FAA, FTSE

Director (Non-executive)

Western Australia

Appointed: 1 October 2017 to 30 September 2020

Stephen has an international reputation in herbicide resistance, weed and crop science. Originally from a dairy farming region of NSW he was educated at Tocal and Hawkesbury Agricultural Colleges then in the US and Europe. He developed and led large research programs at the Waite Agricultural Research Institute and University of Western Australia.

Stephen is a Fellow of both the Australian Academy of Science and the Australian Academy of Technology & Engineering and received the Australian Centenary Medal for his service to plant production. He has interests in a broad-acre cropping farm in the great southern region of WA. Stephen was Managing Director of the Australian Weed Management CRC, Director of the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, Chair of GTTAC and a WANTFA Board Member.