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:
First term - 1 October 2016 to 30 September 2019
Second term - 1 October 2019 to 30 September 2022

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.

Ms Cathie Warburton

Acting Managing Director and Company Secretary

Australian Capital Territory

Mr Richard Dickmann, BForSci (Hons), MAgrSc, GAICD

Director (Non-executive)

Victoria

Appointed: 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2023

Growing up on a southern Victorian farm, Richard obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Forest Science at the University of Melbourne and a Master of Science in Agriculture degree at the University of Sydney.  Richard has worked in state government agricultural extension in New South Wales and Victoria and the crop insurance industry. Richard undertook a 20-year international career in agribusiness, which involved postings to France, Singapore, Japan, China and Germany. Richard grained broad experience in research prioritization, marketing, global product management, product development and commercial operations.

Since returning to Australia in 2009, Richard has worked in New Business Development and Public and Government Affairs. Richard worked to identify new business opportunities combining the innovation power of Australian and international organizations. Richard also developed sustainability programs seeking to better demonstrate the critical need for modern technology to address the twin challenges of food security and environmental responsibility.

Richard is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and currently sits on the advisory board of the Australian Plant Phenomics Facility. Richard was formerly a Director of Cotton Grower Services Pty Ltd and a member of the Bayer Australia Ltd Board.

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

Director (Non-executive)

South Australia

Appointed: 4 November 2014, reappointed to 30 September 2023

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.

Mr Richard Heath, BSc (Hons), GAICD

Director (Non-executive)

New South Wales

Appointed: 1 October 2017, reappointed to 30 September 2023

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 was appointed the Executive Director of the Australian Farm Institute in May 2018. Prior to this, he was General Manager of Research for the AFI, responsible for carrying out research projects and compiling reports on a broad range of farm and agriculture related issues. Before joining AFI in 2016 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.

Mr Bob Nixon

Director (Non-executive)

Western Australia

Appointed: 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2023

Bob manages a family farming business in the 300mm annual rainfall North Eastern Wheatbelt of WA. The family grow wheat, barley, canola, lupins, field peas and serradella cover crop. He has a strong interest in crop agronomy, soil health and resilient farming systems and communities.

Bob is past Chair of the Grain Industry Association of WA (GIWA) from 2017 to 2020.  He currently sits on the WA Soil and Land Conservation Council, GRDC Soils Constraints West steering committee and is an active member of his local Liebe Grower Group. He completed a Nuffield Scholarship in 2014 looking into ‘Mitigating Risk in a Dry and Variable Climate’ in response to the drying out and increase in seasonal variability of the WA cropping belt. Bob was awarded the GRDC Seed of Light in 2019 for his work in managing soil constraints.

Mr Andrew Spencer, BAgSc, GAICD

Director (Non-executive)

New South Wales

Appointed: 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2023

Andrew is the manager of his own consulting business in the Monaro Region of NSW, typically carrying out contractual work for some of Australia’s rural research and development corporations. He has previously been a senior executive of diverse agriculture and agribusiness organisations, spanning more than 30 years in four countries.

From 2005 to 2019, Andrew was the Chief Executive Officer of Australian Pork Limited, the industry services and representative body for Australia’s pork producers.

Prior to this time, he worked in the agricultural biotechnology, chemical and seed business in Australia, Europe and Africa particularly working in crops such as cereals, cotton, canola and rice. Roles included country management, global product management, crop business management and business development.

Andrew is Chair of the Australian Farm Institute and PorkScan Pty. Ltd., a small technology company in the pork industry.

Andrew studied agricultural science at the University of Melbourne.

Mrs Sharon Starick

Director (Non-executive)

South Australia

Appointed: 30 November 2018, reappointed to 30 September 2023

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.

Ms Gemma Walker

Director (Non-executive)

Western Australia

Appointed: 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2023