At Hort Innovation ’s 2018 Annual General Meeting in November , voting phallus will elect three film director to the Hort Innovation Board . Seven candidates for the positions have now been herald , with voting member encouraged to get to be intimate the candidates in the profiles list their past and current experience below . More information about each candidate will also be included in the Notice of Annual General Meeting , issued to Hort Innovation members later in October .
How the candidate were selectedAt the 2017 Annual General Meeting ( AGM ) , a resolution was communicate by voting members of Hort Innovation to conform the composition of the Hort Innovation Board to five elect directors and four appointed directors . For the 2018 AGM , see the damage of the current directors , this has intend there are three positions to be voted on .
The prospect , in alphabetical order by cognomen :
Julie Bird ( Haslett)Julie has a broad background in the Australian horticulture diligence , spanning various role and commodities over the past 25 years . She is the current owner and managing director of Say It With flower , a large retail floristry business ground in Malvern , Victoria . She is also Non - Executive Director of United Almonds Limited , an unlisted public company managing more than 1000 hectares of almond grove situate at Piangil , Victoria .
antecedently , Julie was Non - Executive Director / Deputy Chair of Plant Health Australia , CEO of the Almond Board of Australia and Non - Executive Director of the Australian Nut Industry Council . Julie has also serve as Independent Chair of the Apple and Pear Industry Advisory Committee and the South Australian Apiary Industry Advisory Group .
Julie has all-embracing experience working in all aspect of primary production , including a direction role with Quality Fruit Marketing , marketer of stonefruit to domestic and external markets , and operate a direction consultancy business , servicing the agriculture sphere in strategic preparation and risk direction .
Julie has a Bachelor of educational activity grade , is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors , and has MBA ( Executive ) making concentre in Marketing , Finance , Business Strategy and Leadership .
Tania ChapmanFor the past 14 years Tania has been an owner - wheeler dealer of a 350 - Accho citrus property in Sunraysia , as well as allow fiscal transcription and advice serving to a variety show of rural commercial enterprise .
Tania is currently the Chair of Voice of Horticulture , a national body form to give horticulturalists a voice with government and research and development corp . She is also a penis of Hort Innovation ’s Leadership Fund Expert Advisory Panel and citrus Strategic Investment Advisory Panel ; a member of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Agriculture Consultative Committee ; a director of the Sunraysia Institute of TAFE ; and a fellow member of the advisory board to the Black Economy Taskforce . Tania is also a “ vital friend ” representing horticulture in relative to solid food traceability and security .
Tania ’s previous appointments include Chair of Citrus Australia , a position she held for eight years from March 2010 to February 2018 . In 2014 Tania co - founded the Lucas Foundation , which raises fund to bring home the bacon comfort and help to residents of Sunraysia who are suffering fiscal hardship due to out of the blue fate or malady bear on their child .
Tania holds a Diploma in Accounting , Advanced Diploma in Business Management , and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors .
Should Tania be elected as a Director of Hort Innovation , she will step down from her role with the Voice of Horticulture , as well as her positions on the Hort Innovation Leadership Fund Expert Advisory Panel and Strategic Investment Advisory Panel for citrus tree .
Susan Finger ( current director , re - nominated)Together with her finance and business insightfulness , Susan brings an all - round knowledge of the gardening supply chain , from farm resource inputs to delivery to the consumer . free-base in Victoria , she is an apple agriculturalist with two orchards in the Yarra Valley , and currently is a conductor of Hort Innovation ( with her term now coming to an end ) , plus a appendage of its Audit and Risk Committee .
Susan has a successful account in sodbuster and industriousness representative organisations . She is a preceding United States President of the Victorian Farmers Federation Horticultural Group and was a Director of the Victorian Farmers Federation ( VFF ) . She has held an executive committee perspective with the VFF Industrial Association , which attends to workplace and industrial relations thing for Fannie Merritt Farmer , and hold a purpose with the VFF Farm Business Committee . Susan previously worked in revenue and audited account with a large accounting firm and held financial roles with the wine-coloured industry and local government .
Susan is a graduate phallus of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and hold a Bachelor of Business ( Accounting ) .
Stephen Lynch ( current director , re - nominated)Stephen has spent most of the last 20 old age working with horticulture producers , including building farm operation , and has spent 15 of the last 20 years as a companionship theatre director in horticulture .
Stephen is a current director of Hort Innovation ( with his term now issue forth to an end ) , as well as a fellow member of its Investment Committee . He is also a director of a horticulture contracting company .
antecedently Stephen was a director of the almond efflorescence manufacture body for seven years , and Chair for three of those . He has 10 years as an executive theater director of a gardening investment troupe , develop horticulture investments . Stephen ’s primary focus over the last two decades has been gardening investment and consulting , production and business growth , and investments across many of the levy products .
Stephen has a degree in Agricultural Science , a Masters in Agricultural Economics ( London ) , is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors ’ Directors Course , and has undertaken units of a financial planning sheepskin .
Steve MarafioteSteve is a third - coevals horticultural specializer who has work in all aspects of horticultural businesses from genetics and raise through to domestic and outside grocery store ontogenesis . He is also an experient CEO / Managing Director of horticultural business , with more than 15 class at that degree .
Steve is currently the CEO of Sundrop Farms , which acquire , have and operates protected intensive crops ( such as tomato plant in Australia , and berries in the USA and Portugal ) using desalinate sea water and concentrated solar power . Prior to Sundrop , Steve managed open - field crop such as washed potatoes , onions , melon , pumpkin , table grapeshot and vino grapes , citrus , and many other crop .
Steve ’s former role include chief operating officer of the South Australian Potato Company and Managing Director of Australian Quality Plus .
Steve is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a double John Major in direction and merchandising . He is also the former Chair of the SA Premiers Food Council and has served on more than 15 boards across occupation , industry and governing .
Mark Napper ( current director , re - nominated)Mark has 34 years of agribusiness experience including incline company , owning a fruit orchard , people and fellowship change management , production and provision change direction , and stakeholder engagement .
As a re - nominated theatre director , Mark is presently Deputy Chair of Hort Innovation , chairs its Audit and Risk Committee , and is a member of its Remuneration and Appointments Committee . Other current directorships include those with Santos Organics and being Chair of the Australian Hemp Masonry Company .
Mark has previously served as a managing director of AUSVEG , the Australian Mango Industry Association and Summerfruit Australia , and was President of Low Chill Australia .
Mark owns a business consultative firm cater line management and strategy advice and executive mentoring services . He bear a BA ( Accounting ) and a Masters of Business Administration , and is a confrere of both the Institute of Managers & Leaders and Certified Practising Accountants , as well as a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors .
Julian WiddupJulian has meaning experience as a corporate music director and a inviolable background in agriculture , industry , marketing and research . He is a director of ASX - number Rural Funds Group , the NSX - listed RFM Poultry Group , and suffice on the boards of the Australian National University Research School of Management and the Australian Catholic University .
Julian ’s anterior directorships include those with Taumata Plantations Limited , Regional Livestock Exchange Investment Company , Agribio Research Facility , Palisade Investment Partners Limited , Port of Portland and ANZ Terminals Pty Limited , Darwin International Airport and Alice Springs Airport .
In his executive career , Julian has hold various senior roles including as a CEO , COO , Partner , Managing Consultant and Executive Director . He has worked with the Australian Government , Towers Perrin ( now Willis Towers Watson ) , Access Economics , Access Capital Advisers , Palisade Investment Partners and Strategic Reform narrow down in economics , investment , policy ontogeny , advocacy and risk management .
Julian holds a Bachelor of Economics from the Australian National University , is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia .
For more information : Hort Innovationhorticulture.com.au
