Director Elections

Nominated director candidates stand for election to the board at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held on 27 November 2026. The comprehensive search and selection process of Dairy Australia Directors ensures the board comprises a diverse set of skills, experience and personal attributes.

Upcoming election

The terms of three directors – Paul Roderick, Paul Bennett and Paul van Heerwaarden – will expire at the 2026 AGM, resulting in three vacancies on the Dairy Australia Board.  

The positions for election at the AGM are for a director with milk producer (farming) skills, a director with agribusiness, innovation and adoption skills, and a director with dairy supply chain and product promotion skills.  

After a comprehensive selection process, the Board Selection Committee selected three candidates, and they have been nominated by the Board for election at the AGM. The candidates are Paul Roderick, Paul Bennett, and Hamish Reid. Further information on these candidates can be found below.  

Dairy Australia members will vote for directors at the AGM or in advance by proxy. To be successfully elected to the vacant director roles, each nominee will require a majority of the votes cast.  

All dairy farm business operators are eligible to become members of Dairy Australia and vote at the AGM. To learn more about becoming a Dairy Australia member, visit Membership.

For more information about the Dairy Australia AGM, visit Annual General Meeting.

Director candidates

Paul Roderick

Paul Roderick is a dairy farmer from Harrisville in south-east Queensland, where he has operated his family farm for more than 30 years. He brings extensive industry experience across advocacy, research, development and extension, and has held leadership roles with Subtropical Dairy, Premium Milk Ltd and the Australian Dairy Conference Board. Appointed to the Dairy Australia Board in 2020, he has served as Chair since November 2024.

Paul Bennett

Paul Bennett 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. He is also currently Chairman of Ashgrove Cheese, the Bennett family value-adding business. He was appointed to the Dairy Australia Board in 2023.

Hamish Reid

Hamish Reid is Executive General Manager, Bega Nutritionals and Ingredients at Bega Group, bringing more than 25 years of experience across the dairy supply chain. His expertise spans dairy science and technology, innovation, FMCG brand development, international markets, milk procurement, primary processing. Hamish leads procurement and the supply chains at Bega end to end for dairy ingredients, infant formula and bio-nutrients. Hamish is currently a Director of the Australian Dairy Industry Council and the Australian Dairy Products Federation, and previously served as Chair of the Infant Nutrition Council of Australia and New Zealand. 

Board selection process

The board selection process is overseen by an independently-chaired Board Selection Committee (BSC). The committee’s role is to identify and nominate candidates to ensure the board collectively possesses an appropriate balance of skills and experience in relation to the business and strategy of Dairy Australia. This approach ensures candidates are rigorously assessed against the skills needed for a director position following an open and transparent application process.

The BSC is a standing committee appointed for a 12-month period that comprises an independent Chair plus up to a maximum of six members – one Dairy Australia Director, two appointees from each Group B member, and one or more independent members with expertise in research and development, milk production, finance and risk management, agribusiness or governance. The BSC must have at least two members with milk producer skills.

The Chair of the Selection Committee is an eminent person from the agricultural industry, who is not a current or former farmer director or employee of Dairy Australia, and is to be appointed by the board only after consultation with Group B members.

After assessing the applications received and interviewing candidates, the BSC recommends one candidate per director vacancy for endorsement by the board. Candidates then stand for election at the Annual General Meeting as Dairy Australia Board nominees.

A Pre-Selection Committee (PSC) assists with selection of milk producer candidates. The PSC comprises three members appointed by Australian Dairy Farmers (ADF) who will provide a short list of milk producer candidates to the BSC for consideration.

Candidates who wish to nominate separately to the board selection process can submit their nomination in writing to the Dairy Australia Company Secretary Martin Bede (via email). The nomination must be supported by signatures from at least 50 Dairy Australia Group A members. The signatures must be accompanied by the full name, business name, and address of each signatory. Completed nominations must be received by 31 August 2026.

Should you require further information about this process, please contact Dairy Australia Company Secretary Martin Bede (via email).