Our Board

Dairy Australia’s Board determines the policies and directions for investing in R&D and industry service activities, and approves strategic and operating plans and performance targets.

The Board ensures that appropriate policies, procedures and systems are in place to manage risk and ensure high standards of accountability, ethical behaviour and legal compliance. Its role and responsibilities is set out in more detail in the Board Charter. The board is comprised of eight non-executive directors (including the Chairman) and the Managing Director.

In short, the Dairy Australia Board:

• Guides and monitors Dairy Australia on behalf of its members
• Is accountable to Dairy Australia members
• Meets about 10 times each year
• Meets several times a year in regional areas

Under Dairy Australia’s Constitution, a third of the positions on the Board are vacated each year and an election held is to fill the vacancies. Directors are nominated on a skills basis by an industry selection committee. Group A members are able to vote for nominated Directors at Dairy Australia's Annual General Meeting, which is held in November.

Members

Max Roberts, Chairman
Max has been dairy farming in the Bega valley since 1982. He is a Director and Deputy Chair of Bega Cheese. He has held several other Board positions including the Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme and New South Wales Farmers Federation. Max has been active in industry organisations as a former Chair of the NSW Farmers Dairy Section and vice-president of Australian Dairy Farmers Ltd. Before becoming a dairy farmer, Max had a long career as an ABC journalist and broadcaster.
Appointed July 2003

Ian Halliday, Managing Director
Ian was appointed Managing Director of Dairy Australia in December 2009, bringing to the position the experience of a career which has spanned across the supply chain. His experience is made up of an extensive range of management roles, most recently as the Chief Executive Officer of Vesco Foods, and previously with SPC, White Wings, Kraft Foods and KR Castlemaine. Each year, Dairy Australia invests about $35 million of dairy farmer levy payments and $15 million of matched government funds in projects for the benefit of farmers, the dairy industry and the community.
Appointed December 2009

Geoff Akers
Geoff is a dairy farmer from Tallygaroopna in Northern Victoria. He has extensive experience in dairy research, development and extension. Geoff worked for Victoria’s then Department of Agriculture (Target 10 and Operation mid lactation) and at the Kyabram Research Institute. He spent four of six years on the Murray Dairy Board as Chairperson and two years on the National Dairy Alliance Board. Geoff was also a Director on the Australian Dairy Farmers Board, a Central Councillor of the United Dairyfarmers of Victoria and is a former Chair of the Victorian Farmers Federations Water Council. Geoff currently is a Director of the Northern Victorian Irrigation Renewal Project
Re-appointed November 2008
Member – Human Resources Committee

Dr Wendy Craik
Ms Craik is a Commissioner with the Productivity Commission and has considerable expertise in natural resource management and environmental issues.

the current  She has held many senior positions including Chief Executive for the Murray-Darling Basin Commission (MDBC), President of the National Competition Council (NCC), Chair of the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) and Executive Director of National Farmers Federation. She is currently Chair of the Australian Rural Leadership Foundation, Deputy Chancellor at the University of South Australia and a board member of the World Fish Centre.
Appointed November 2008
Member - Human Resources Committee

John Doyle
John has had an extensive career in corporate development and business planning with companies such as Kraft and Kodak. John was a director of Kraft Foods for more than 17 years and served as a member of the Australian Dairy Products Federation management committee and on the Australian Dairy Industry Council for eight years. Soon after being appointed as a Director of the Australian Dairy Corporation (ADC) in 2002, John was appointed Acting Managing Director and managed the ADC’s transition to Dairy Australia.
Appointed July 2003
Chair - Human Resources Comittee

Kelvin Jackson
Kelvin was formerly a Director and Deputy Chairman of Bonlac Foods and Deputy Chairman for Bonlac Supply Company.

He is currently a Director of Toora and District AB Co-operative.

Kelvin is also a dairy farmer who has run his own agricultural contracting business for 20 years.
Appointed November 2006
Member – Audit & Risk Management Committee

Peter Nankervis
Peter has more than 30 years experience in accounting, financial and commercial roles with BHP and Cadbury Schweppes. Peter has been Finance Director of Cadbury Schweppes Australia Limited and Chief Financial Officer for Cadbury Schweppes Asia Pacific. He has also been a member of the Cadbury Schweppes Global Senior Finance Committee and a member of the Asia Pacific Audit Committee. Peter also served as a Trustee Director and Chairman of the Superannuation Fund. Peter is a Non- Executive Director of Onesteel Limited and Chair of its Audit and Compliance Committee and a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Audit and Corporate Governance Committee at Mitchell Communication Group Limited.
Re-appointed November 2008
Chair – Audit and Risk Management Committee

Dr Alan Grant
Alan holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree in Biochemistry/ Microbiology and a Ph.D. in Microbial Genetics. He joins Dairy Australia after more than 30 years with Kraft where he has been accountable for leadership and direction of the R&D and Quality function at business unit level or above in Australia, Canada, USA, Asia and Europe.

His diverse assignments have provided significant experience in linking technology to business plans and with acquisitions, joint ventures, licensees and IP management. In his last role at Kraft as Senior Vice President, Research and Development for Kraft International in Chicago, Alan was responsible for the leadership and direction of research, development and quality activities in all product categories for Kraft’s businesses in the developing markets of Latin America, CEEMA (Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa) and Asia Pacific.
Appointed November 2010
Member - Audit and Risk Management Committee

 
Mr Bruce Donnison
Bruce has more than 20 years of experience in the manufacturing sector. His roles have spanned from farm gate to operational and supply chain, sales and marketing in dairy ingredients to Managing Director of Fonterra Australia. He now heads up sustainability at Fonterra. 
Appointed November 2010
Member - Human Resources Committee

Mr Ross Joblin
Ross is Dairy Australia's Company Secretary and also a member of Dairy Australia's Executive Leadership Team holding the position of Group Manager, Business and Organisational Performance & Communications.