New MLA Board Director nominees announced

Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) members will be asked to elect two Directors of MLA at the service company’s upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Canberra on 21 November 2018.

The two new nominees, Professor Manny Noakes and Ms Jo Pye, were shortlisted from a pool of 97 highly skilled applicants through a rigorous selection process run by the red meat industry’s nine-person Selection Committee.

The Selection Committee is made up of four independent producer representatives, three industry peak council representatives and two MLA Board Directors (with no voting rights).

MLA has a skills-based Board and in line with specific requirements this year, candidates with extensive skills and experience in at least one of the following areas were encouraged to apply:

• nutrition, food science and value adding
• strategic marketing, consumer and brand development and product management experience, at a domestic and international level.

In addition to the specific skills sought, all candidates were assessed based on their understanding of the Australian red meat and livestock industry, business acumen, financial literacy and understanding of corporate governance. The Selection Committee also considered applicants’ ability to collaboratively contribute to strategic and Board discussion.

Acting MLA Chair Alan Beckett said that, being skills-based, the MLA Board’s role is to challenge the company’s management and ensure appropriate performance goals for the company are set and achieved, while acting in the best interests of the industry and other stakeholders.

“This includes setting strategic objectives and overseeing MLA management’s implementation of these, review of governance, financial performance and risk management,” Mr Beckett said.

On behalf of the MLA Board, Mr Beckett thanked outgoing Director Steven Chaur for his service to the MLA Board over the past three years. Mr Chaur’s term will end in November 2018.

“Mr Chaur performed his role with dedication and made a strong contribution to the strategic direction and performance of MLA through his term as an MLA Board Director and in his roles on the Audit & Risk and Remuneration Committees. On behalf of the company, I thank him for his commitment to the industry and for the role he has played,” Mr Beckett said.

MLA members are reminded to complete and return their levies notice to secure their full voting entitlement for the Board elections and any ballots by 21 September at www.mla.com.au/voting. Members with questions about their levies notice can call (02) 9463 9333.

Registrations open for Red Meat 2018

MLA’s AGM will be held in conjunction with the red meat industry’s flagship event, Red Meat 2018, which runs from 20-23 November and will be held in Canberra this year.

The program has been further expanded following last year’s successful event in Alice Springs and includes producer tours, a Global Markets Forum, trade show and technology demonstrations, business breakfast, a digital technology field day and industry forum, and outstanding networking opportunities. The event is open to all producers and industry stakeholders and there is no charge to attend, however registration is essential via www.redmeat.mla.com.au

Biographies of Director nominees

Manny Noakes BSc, Dip Nut & Diet, PhD
Professor Manny Noakes is a key opinion leader and trusted advisor in nutrition and health both nationally and internationally. With over 25 years’ experience she has extensive knowledge in many fields of nutrition and health including the food regulatory system and functional food substantiation, and an in depth knowledge of the role of red meat in human nutrition. Professor Noakes is the recipient of three CSIRO Medals, is a Distinguished Alumni of Flinders University, holds a research excellence award from the University of Adelaide and was a recipient of the Zonta Club Woman of International Achievement award in 2007. In 2014, Manny was named in the top 50 influential women in South Australia as part of International Women’s day and in 2017 was nominated for Australian of the Year. Professor Noakes is currently an Adjunct Research Professor with the University of South Australia and a member of the Nutrition Society of Australia. In addition she is also a member of the National Committee for Nutrition for the Australian Academy of Sciences as well as being on its Expert Working Group Special Project: Nourishing Australia: A decadal plan for nutrition science.

Previous roles:
Professor Noakes was formerly a Senior Principal Research Scientist and Director for the Nutrition and Health Program at CSIRO. She has been an executive member of the Federal Government Food and Health Dialogue, the National Heart Foundation Food and Nutrition Advisory Committee and an Executive Member of the Lion Nutrition Advisory Panel amongst numerous other advisory roles for industry and government.

Jo Pye - BSc Food & Nutrition, MBA
Ms Pye has 20 years’ experience in large scale customer engagement, marketing and strategy within the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry (with a focus on food and beverage) across numerous roles covering food science, product and strategic marketing management, consumer insights and strategic planning. She has held senior positions across local, regional (APAC) and global (USA, UK, APAC) markets including a three-year assignment in Shanghai, China where she was responsible for strategic planning and implementation to drive regional business growth. Ms Pye has excelled in both global corporate and lean start up environments and in designing and delivering high quality strategic market advisory and implementation projects. She is currently Director – Food Service for The NPD Group, is undertaking a Diploma in Leadership Coaching and is a member of the Australian Institute Food Science & Technology (AIFST).

Previous roles:
Ms Pye was Global Head of Insights & Customer Experience at Watch Me Think, Global Director of Insights & Client Service, Mintel International and was Marketing Director Australia & NZ DuPont (formerly Danisco).