Board Director Profiles

Paul has operated his family dairy farm at Harrisville, South-east Queensland for the last 30 years. Paul has been involved in all facets of dairy off-farm with roles in advocacy, research, development and extension. He was previously Chair of Subtropical Dairy, Dairy Australia’s Regional Development Program and had a role in setting up the Young Dairy Network (YDN) Queensland as the young farmer delegate on the Inaugural Strategic Steering Committee. He was a Director on Premium Milk Ltd (negotiating group with Lactalis) for 11 years and is a member of the Australian Dairy Conference Board. He is an active member of both the local and dairy communities, holding roles in the Fassifern Rugby League Football Club for over 28 years (currently serving as President), Hayes Oval Inc, the local ANZAC Committee and as a current EastAUSmilk District Councillor. Paul is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

Appointed November 2020 

Appointed Chair November 2024 

Member – Audit and Risk Management Committee

Member – People and Culture Committee

Paul’s family farming background led him to a career in agribusiness. He joined Cargill in 1991 and spent 10 years working across Australia, the United States and Asia in the meat, oilseeds and grains industries. Following finance and general management roles with several small to medium agribusinesses, Paul joined Bega Cheese Ltd in 2009, where he gained commercial, operational and supply chain experience in the Australian dairy industry and international dairy markets. He stepped down as CEO of Bega Cheese Ltd in February 2023 after six years in the role. He has served on a number of company and joint venture boards and is currently a director of Select Harvests Ltd. 

Paul has a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) and has completed an MBA at Melbourne Business School and the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. 

Appointed January 2023 

Appointed Deputy Chair December 2023 

Member – Audit and Risk Management Committee 

Alan grew up on a dairy farm in South Gippsland, Victoria. He was educated at the University of New England (B Rur Sc, Hons, 1969) and the University of Glasgow (PhD, 1976) and has held research and teaching positions in Australia, Scotland and the United States. He was Chairman and Extension Leader of the Department of Animal Science at Cornell University from 1997 to 2007, with responsibilities for teaching, research and extension in livestock biology and management. From 2007 until his retirement in 2012 he was Chief of CSIRO Livestock Industries, Australia, where he managed research operations in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia. During this period he also was seconded to be interim CEO of Food Science Australia and interim Chief of CSIRO Food and Nutritional Sciences. In retirement, Alan continues to be professionally engaged through writing, conducting program reviews and chairing several national scientific committees. 

Appointed November 2022 

Chair – People and Culture Committee 

Paul grew up on the family farm at Elizabeth Town, Central-northern Tasmania. He is married to Bernadette and has two sons, William and Angus, who are currently studying at university. Paul is owner and manager of Ashgrove Farms, which has five dairy farms milking 3,500 cows and a dairy beef grazing operation with over 4,000 cattle across 3,500 hectares of Northern Tasmania. Paul was Tasmanian Apprentice of the Year before graduating from Marcus Oldham Agricultural College in 1991 with a distinction in farm management. Paul is currently Chairman of Ashgrove Cheese, the Bennett family value-adding business. He was Chair of DairyTas from 2010 to 2013, and a member of the Dairy Moving Forward Steering Committee between 2013 and 2016. He graduated from the Rabobank Executive Development Program in 2015. Paul is an active member of his local community. 

Appointed November 2023 

Chair – Board Selection Committee 

Member – Audit and Risk Management Committee (until November 2024) 

Member – People and Culture Committee (from December 2024) 

Simone and her husband Neil have been farming on the Murrumbidgee River near Wagga Wagga in NSW since 2000, starting out as sharefarmers and later purchasing the property in 2008. She has experience across a variety of farming systems, starting out in a pasture-based operation, employing a partial mixed ration (PMR) during dry and wet periods, as well as utilising a full total mixed ration (TMR) housed facility. Outside of the farm business, Simone has 25 years of industry involvement and governance experience in local, state and national roles. She has held various leadership positions in industry research, development and extension, as well as advocacy and representation roles with Dairy NSW, Australian Dairy Farmers, DataGene and the Australian Dairy Sustainability Framework. 

Simone has a Bachelor of Rural Science and is a graduate of the Australian Rural Leadership Program as well as the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

Appointed November 2021 

Member – Audit and Risk Management Committee 

Member – People and Culture Committee

Andrew grew up on a family farm in the Goulburn Valley, which influenced much of his professional life. Currently, Andrew is Managing Director of corporate advisory and investment firm Somerset Capital and serves as Chair of AgLink Australia, AGnVET Services and Langdon Group. He has previously been Chair of The Pastoral Pork Company and a Director of Gardiner Dairy Foundation, Pork CRC, Beischer Medical Research Foundation and Mt Hotham Alpine Resort. Before founding Somerset Capital, Andrew worked in the United States, Canada and Australia with Cargill and as a lawyer with Herbert Smith Freehills. Andrew has a Bachelor of Law, Bachelor of Science and MBA. He is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. 

Appointed November 2022 

Chair - Audit and Risk Management Committee 

Kären is a fourth-generation dairy farmer from the Mitta Valley, North-east Victoria. She is a partner in the dairy operation Arajarra, milking 280 Aussie Reds in a predominantly pasture-based farming system and operates in a share farm arrangement with her son and his partner. Up until December 2023, Kären was the co-owner of Auzred XB, a commercial AI import distribution company focused on three-way crossbreeding and the use of Aussie Red genetics. She has dedicated many years to contributing to projects, boards and industry groups that empower her local community and the broader dairy industry, including Murray Dairy, Agbiz Assist, the Goulburn Murray Water Services Committee, the Mitta Valley Landcare Group, and the Sustainable Landscapes Advisory Committee for the North East Catchment Management Authority. Kären is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has a Diploma in Human Resources Management (Dairy).

Appointed November 2023

Member – People and Culture Committee (until November 2024)

Member – Audit and Risk Management Committee (from December 2024)

James is a fifth-generation dairy farmer from Oxley Island, near Taree in New South Wales. He farms with his wife Katrina and parents Peter and Cheryl Neal, milking up to 800 cows all year round in a predominantly pasture-based system. He has extensive agricultural research, development and extension skills, having worked for New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and completed a PhD at the University of Sydney, investigating differences in water use efficiency, yield, nutritive value and profitability of different dairy forages. After completing his Agricultural Science degree at the University of Adelaide, James worked for the University at Roseworthy as a scientist, investigating the importance of soil fertility and root pathogens on the poor productivity of legume pastures. In addition to his background and experience in the dairy sector, which encompasses all aspects of quality milk production and dairy farm systems, James has strong governance experience, having served on numerous industry boards and committees, including as Chair of the Dairy NSW Board. 

Appointed November 2024

Member – People and Culture Committee (from December 2024)