The Sheep CRC Board of Directors comprises a non-executive Chairman and eight non-executive members elected by the Members of the Sheep CRC Company. The Board are accountable to the Members and Participants for the performance of the Company and their responsibilities include:
Dr John Keniry AM - Chair
Dr John Keniry AM has served as Chairman or Director of numerous agribusiness companies in Australia and New Zealand and on the Boards of Government organisations at State and Federal level. He is a Fellow of The Australian Institute of Company Directors, Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering. He is presently also Chairman of the Pork CRC, The Australian Farm Institute, The Australian Wool Exchange and The Sydney Institute of Marine Science. He is a past member of the Board of Innovation Australia and of the Prime Minister's Science, Engineering and Innovation Council.
John Lewis - Member
John Lewis has had 40+ years experience in the harvesting and processing of wool to final product. This has encompassed the scouring, spinning, weaving, knitting and finishing industries in Australia, Europe and Asia. He currently heads the AWTA Product Testing Division, is a Director of Jin Ao Testing Company China, past Chair of the Federation of Australian Wool Organisations and past Managing Director of the Macquarie Textile Group. He has been heavily involved in product innovation and the commercialisation of R&D across a number of product areas.
Stuart Mitchell - Member
Stuart is a commercial wool and sheep producer from Bollon in Queensland. He has extensive experience in commercial sheep production systems and a good understanding of the value and practical application of the research outcomes expected from the CRC for Sheep Industry Innovation. Previously Stuart has been a member of the Australian Wool Innovation Sustainable Production Systems Advisory Panel, the Falkiner Memorial Field Station Advisory Panel, the Bestprac National Steering Committee and the Woolmark Company’s Pastoral Zone Advisory Committee. Stuart was also a Director of the Kondinin Group and runs an Australian Merino Sire Evaluation Association (AMSEA) project on his property at Bollon.
Kate Joseph - Member
Kate Joseph has established a successful track record of leadership during her committed career in the agricultural sector. As a sole operator, Kate runs a specialist prime lamb operation, turning off approximately 1,500 sucker lambs annually. Kate has strong ties within the agricultural industry through her work on several committees and industry Boards and up until recently held the position of President of Sheepmeat Council of Australia. Kate has updated her practical skills through formal specialist courses such as the AICD Company Directors Course, the Australian Rural Leadership Program and has completed a Master in Agricultural Science (Sheep Nutrition) establishing herself as an exceptionally qualified individual within the industry.
Professor John Gibson - Member
John brings 27 years experience and international recognition in a wide range of disciplines relevant to the CRC for Sheep Industry Innovation, including genetics, genomics, farming systems, livestock nutrition and economics of livestock production. He is currently Professor and Director at Centre for Genetic Analysis and Applications at The University of New England (Armidale, NSW) and has experience in leading research, development and the successful delivery of innovation to industry in Australia, Europe, North America and Africa. Professor Gibson is also a Member of the Scientific Advisory Council, International Livestock Research Institute.
Rob Egerton-Warburton - Member
Rob runs a Merino sheep and cropping enterprise in Kojonup, Western Australia. Rob is actively involved in on-farm research and development in both livestock and cropping systems. In 2010 Rob was awarded an Australian Nuffield Scholarship to study the interaction of livestock pasture systems and cropping and improved pathways for sheep genetics. Rob is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Rabobank Executive Development Program. Other Directorships include Merinotech Pty Ltd.
Peter Trefort - Member
Peter manages his family's property at Narrogin, Western Australia. He has over 40 years' experience in sheep and cattle production as well as management across the supply chain. He has worked extensively developing on-farm and processing R&D strategy with the Dept of Agriculture & Food (WA), University of Western Australia and Murdoch University. Peter has been successful in developing and commercialising an innovative new range of lamb cuts to extend markets both domestically and internationally. He is currently a Member of Hillside Meats, Elderstone Nominees Pty Ltd, WA Q Lamb and Meat & Livestock Australia.
Phillip Rose - Member
Phillip Rose is a Chartered Accountant with over 35 years experience in a large rural practice. He has lectured extensively to residential courses at UNE in taxation and estate planning. As a director of ABS Building Society Ltd for 17 years he served on the Audit Committee, Risk Committee and was involved in due diligence and risk evaluation processes. Together with Julia, he conducted the Carwell Poll Dorset Stud, participating in central breeding schemes and progeny tests and an original supporter of the NSW Meat Sheep Testing Service and Lambplan. For six years he was a councillor of the Australian Poll Dorset Association and for three years served on the Lamplan Committee. He qualified as a woolclasser in 1964 and currently runs a small farm east of Armidale.
Dr Ian Johnsson - Member
Ian Johnsson retired from the position of Meat & Livestock Australia's General Manager for Livestock Productions Innovation in 2011, after 25 years experience in managing national RD&E programs in the read meat and pork industries. This included 2 years in the USA as a technology scout and followed livestock research experience in the SA Dept of Agriculture, CSIRO and 5 years with the Agriculture and Food Research Council in the UK. Under Ian's stewardship many MLA programs were developed and advanced to provide benefits to levy-payers, including sheep and beef genetics programs, and adoption programs, such as More Beef from Pastures, Making More From Sheep and Going into Goats. He was also instrumental in the establishment of a comprehensive climate-change research program for both adaptation and mitigation, to assist industry to better understand and tackle this issue by focusing on those areas that will provide production as well as environmental benefits. Ian has also devoted much time to "cross-sectoral matters" such as the development of the National RD&E framework and strategy to ensure research agencies delivered a co-ordinated and cohesive approach to the broader agricultural industries, particularly the beef and sheepmeat sector.
