Bill Falconer (Chairman of Fast Forward Fund Board, New Zealand) has had careers in government, initially as a trade negotiator, but concluding as Deputy Secretary of Energy from 1980-85; in business, as Chief Executive of Petrocorp, (later Fletcher Energy); and since 1995 as a professional company director. Bill has served on company boards for over 25 years, initially in the energy sector where he chaired Maui Development Limited, the Natural Gas Corporation and Southern Petroleum. Bill is a former chairman of St Lukes Group, the ACC, The Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA New Zealand), and the Market Surveillance Panel of the New Zealand Stock Exchange. In addition to the MIA, he currently chairs Hellaby Holdings, Restaurant Brands and Oyster Bay Marlborough Vineyards, and is a director of Tower and Westfield Trust (NZ). Bill is also chairman of New Zealand Rowing and a director of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. In August 2008 Bill was appointed Chairman of New Zealand Fast Forward.
Rod Oram has more than 30 years' experience as an international financial journalist. He has worked in Europe and North America for leading publications such as the Financial Times of London. His FT career spanned 18 years (1979-1997) as an editor and writer based in London and New York. Rod has also traveled extensively in North America, Europe and Asia. Rod and his family emigrated from the UK to New Zealand in 1997. He is currently a columnist for the Sunday Star-Times; a regular broadcaster on radio and television; a frequent public speaker on business and economic issues; and an occasional correspondent for the Financial Times. He was Editor of the Business Herald section of the New Zealand Herald, 1997-2000
Professor Gibson, presently a Research Professor in Human Nutrition at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, graduated with a B.Sc in Nutrition from Queen Elizabeth College, University of London, in 1962. This was followed by graduate work in public health nutrition at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA. She then worked for three years as a Nutritional Biochemist at the Ethio-Swedish Nutrition Unit, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. After teaching in the United Kingdom for some years, she was awarded her Ph.D. from the University of London for work on zinc in premature infants - a study that initiated a life-long interest in micro-nutrient human nutrition. In 1979, Professor Gibson moved with her husband and family to Canada to join the faculty of the Division of Applied Human Nutrition, University of Guelph, Ontario and became Full Professor in 1985. While in Canada she worked with a small but talented group of graduate students to raise the profile of trace-elements in human nutrition, concentrating particularly on zinc in population groups particularly at risk of deficiency. She helped establish the presence of sub-optimal zinc status in some Ontario School children, demonstrated the importance with laboratory and community-based studies of phytate as a factor inhibiting zinc absorption. For the last sixteen years, Professor Gibson has turned her attention to working on micro-nutrient nutrition in developing countries, working in Papua New Guinea, Guatemala, Ghana, Malawi and more recently, Thailand, Cambodia, and Ethiopia, with particular emphasis on sustainable diet-based strategies to combat micro-nutrient deficiencies. This work in developing countries, and some parallel studies on iron, has continued since moving to New Zealand. After her departure from Canada at the end of 1995, she was awarded the McHenry Award from the Canadian Society for Nutritional Sciences in recognition of her contribution to nutrition research in Canada. In 2002, Professor Gibson was elected to Fellowship of the Royal Society of New Zealand. She is the author of a standard reference text on Nutritional Assessment; the second edition was published by Oxford University Press in New York in March 2005. She is also the author or co-author with her graduate students of more than 150 refereed scientific papers.
Brian P. Eng. is Chief Executive Officer of OnTrace Agri-food Traceability, having been appointed to that
position in December 2006. He is responsible for management of all aspects of OnTrace
operations.
Since 1996, Brian has held progressively senior roles in management consulting. Prior to OnTrace, he
was Director of Business Development for RFID and Product traceability at IBM Canada during 2005 and
2006. In that role he became recognized as a traceability expert. He helped clients understand the
business benefits of traceability and recommended solutions that delivered those benefits.
Before joining IBM, Brian was Vice President/General Manager for several years at RCM Technologies,
responsible for their Canadian operations. It was at RCM that he first developed a vision for whole-chain
food traceability and led projects in the USA and Canada, including Can-Trace. In that program, he
helped develop the business case for whole-chain food traceability.
Brian spent the early part of his career with the DuPont Company, advancing through a broad range of
positions in North America.
Dr Noakes is a Senior Research Dietitian at CSIRO Human Nutrition in Adelaide, South Australia, where she leads the Clinical Research Unit. Dr Noakes joined CSIRO in 1991 and is a key member of CSIRO's research team looking at diet, nutrition and health. Manny obtained her PhD at Flinders University having qualified and practised as a dietitian since the mid seventies. She has published over 100 scientific papers on nutrition. Her key area of interest is in diet and exercise strategies for weight loss which maximise health and wellbeing and the role of protein in satiety and body composition. This research has led to the development of the highly topical CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet. To date these books have sold over 1 million copies worldwide. In recognition of both the commercial success and the science which underpins the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet, Manny was awarded 2 CSIRO medals for both Business Excellence and Research Excellence in 2005.
Dr. Clint Laurent is the Founder and Managing Director of Global Demographics Ltd. (Formerly Asian Demographics Ltd) He has considerable experience in the Consumer Markets of Asia. Asian Demographics developed substantial historical databases of the demographic and socio-economic profile of the countries of Asia, including China down to Prefecture level, and uses modelling techniques to provide forecasts of the changing nature of populations (age, gender, births, etc), labour force, households, and their income and expenditure patterns to 2024. These forecasts provide unique insights to the new opportunities that are emerging in Asia as a result of demographic and socio-economic change. In 2006 the databases and models were expanded to cover 54 countries in total including countries in South and North America, Eastern and Western Europe and the Middle East. The countries covered in the total database represent 91% of the world's population and 84% of its GDP.
David Blandford is a professor, and former department head, in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology at the Pennsylvania State University. Born and educated in the United Kingdom, he was formerly a division director at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris and a professor at Cornell University. He has twice served as chair of the International Agricultural Trade Research Consortium - an organization composed of researchers from government, academia and industry. He teaches courses in agribusiness at Penn State and conducts research into food, agricultural and environmental policy, and international trade.
Dr Williams completed 10 years as NZ's Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE) in March 2007 leading a talented team of 19 staff. The PCE is an environmental guardian/watchdog that is independent of Government reporting directly to Parliament through the Speaker of the House of Representatives. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at the Universities of Canterbury and Queensland, positions he has held for six years, and has been an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Auckland for 14 years. In April 2004, Lincoln University awarded Morgan an honorary doctorate in Natural Resources. Since leaving his post as PCE Morgan has moved into his next phase of professional life; undertaking a major review of the Centre for Rural and Regional Innovation - Queensland (a University of Queensland, CSIRO and Dept. of Primary Industries JV), an ongoing strategic advisory role with UQ's School of Natural and Rural Systems Management, Chairman of The Natural Step Foundation of Aotearoa, NZ, a Trustee of Leadership New Zealand and ongoing speaking engagements. Current work includes reviewing a University of Tasmania regional development research programme, a strategic study of medium scale community based wind farm development potential in NZ, assessing applications for sustainability orientated research for NZ's Foundation for Research Science and Technology, co-producing a documentary film on water futures in Canterbury and writing a 'think piece' on the future evolution of the Waitakere Ranges and associated city and urban farming landscapes. A driving force behind Dr Williams research efforts for over 30 years has been his great interest in how people think about and relate to the natural world - particularly in terms of the political, social and economic constructs that influence the management of our natural capital and thus the broad canvas of sustainable development. In the 10 years as Parliamentary Commissioner over 50 studies were undertaken.Morgan grew up on a dairy farm in Canterbury, in the South Island of NZ. He has worked in Antarctica, the tropical Pacific, and for 20 years in science and policy in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry directing a wide range of research. In 1996 he joined an agriculture consulting company specialising in the integration of more environmentally sustainable production systems into agr-business in NZ. Morgan shares his environmental and sustainability interests with his wife Pam. She is currently a Victoria University Education for Sustainability Research Fellow and Advisor who is also pursuing a PhD in the field of tertiary education for sustainability. Pam is also a Board Member of Enviroschools, a largely privately funded Trust that overseas education for sustainability in over 500 schools.
Agronomic Engineer by "Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz" - University of São Paulo in 1991, Master of Science (1995) and PHD (1999) in Business Management by FEA/University of São Paulo; thesis "Planning of International Distribution Channels"; Post-graduated in European Agribusiness & Marketing in France (1995), and in Marketing Channels and Networks in the Netherlands (1998/1999). Faculty Member by University of São Paulo (2004), with thesis on "Demand-Driven Marketing Planning and Management. PENSA's Coordinator - Agribusiness Program - specialized in strategic planning processes for companies and productive chains. Since 1995 is Professor of Marketing & Strategy at the Business Department of FEA/University of São Paulo, Campus of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
Professorial Fellow in Animal Genetics, University of Melbourne and Victorian DPI, Attwood and Chief Scientist, CRC for Beef Genetic Technologies.
Since completing his PhD on genetics of guide -dogs for the blind (1973-77), Mike has worked on research into the genetic improvement of livestock. This concentrates on the utilisation of molecular genetics in livestock improvement. For instance, he helped develop the concept of "genomic selection" and is now applying this to dairy and beef cattle.
Dr. Plaut is Chair of the Department of Animal Science at MSU. Dr. Plaut has an active research program in mammary gland biology. Presently her lab focuses on two main areas: understanding the role of epithelial and stromal interactions in mammary development and neoplasia and understanding how homeorhetic changes are coordinated among adipose, liver and mammary metabolism to prepare for and maintain lactation. She uses a variety of animal models including mice, rats, goats, cows, pigs and humans. She has published extensively and has obtained approximately $4 M in funding from USDA, NSF, NASA, American Cancer Society of Vermont, and the Northeast Dairy Foods Research Center. She has served on peer review panels for USDA, Department of Defense, the California Breast Cancer Research Panel, National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences and the NIH and has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Dairy Science and the Journal of Mammary Gland Biology and Neoplasia.
Dr Zerby (Ohio State University, USA) Presently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at Ohio State University, obtained his B.S. from Penn State University in 1995. He subsequently graduated from Colorado State University with a M.S. in 1997 and Ph.D in 1999.
Henry’s research interests are in the area of carcass and meat product quality resulting from different live animal production and management strategies. He focuses more specifically in the areas of enhancing taste and tenderness in whole muscle meat products. He also works with the Intercollegiate Meat Evaluation Team.
Dr Tim Doran has worked for his entire career in the field of animal health. He completed his PhD in 1993 at CSIRO Division of Animal Health working on the eradication of bovine tuberculosis in Australia. He then took on a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at St. George's Hospital Medical School in London, where he was awarded the Richard Merkal Fellowship for his outstanding research on paratuberculosis and Johne's disease. In 1996 Tim returned to CSIRO Livestock Industries and was the inaugural winner of the 2001 AFFA Science Award for Young People. He is currently project leader of RNAi Technologies at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory. His research team is applying RNAi gene silencing technology to control viral infection in livestock.
Dr
Jolon Dyer is Team Leader of the Protein and Structure Team, within the
Growth and Development Section of AgResearch. Dr Dyer's team
specialises in fibrous protein biochemistry, proteomics and structural
biology. Recent advances in understanding the process underlying the
photoyellowing and photobleaching of wool led to Dr Dyer's receipt of
the AWI-DWI Excellence in Wool Science personal award. Concurrent
research by the team into the novel modification of fibrous protein
surfaces also resulted in the AWI Award for Scientific Achievement at
the 2005 Wool Research Conference, held at Leeds University. As well as
continued investigation of the mechanisms behind protein photodamage,
current research includes the development of protocols to characterise
and track fibrous protein damage and the genomic and proteomic
characterisation of wool quality traits.
Dr Nigel Johnson has been Chief of CSIRO Textile and Fibre Technology (CTFT) in Geelong, Australia, since 1 November 2005. CSIRO is Australia's national research organisation and CTFT conducts fibre and textile research in support of the country's wool, cotton and textile industries, and also develops fibre-based solutions to other sectors. A graduate in Textile Physics from the University of New South Wales, Dr Johnson completed a PhD in yarn spinning research at Leeds University, UK. With a background in innovation and development related to fibre processing and textile product development, Nigel's current focus is on leadership in strategy development, research and innovation based on fibres. He is a Fellow of the Textile Institute; Associate Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management; Graduate of the Australian Institute of Physics; and a member of Australian Institute of Company Directors.
As Director of Fonterra's Milk Supply division, Barry Harris oversees Fonterra's relationship with shareholders and the efficient collection of over 14 billion litres of milk from around New Zealand every year. He also ensures Fonterra's milk growth goals are achieved in a way that is profitable for farmers and sustainable for the environment. Mr Harris has a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and Masters of Natural Resource Economics from Massey University and has completed the Stanford University Executive Management Programme. He was formerly Chief Executive of Greater Wellington Regional Council and Environment Waikato, General Manager of South Waikato District Council and Economic Advisor to the Republic of Kiribati.
John Penno achieved his BSc in Agriculture at Lincoln University and continued his studies at Massey University achieving his Ph.D in Animal Science. He commenced his working career in the dairy industry as a consulting officer before joining Dexcel as a research scientist where he developed and led a program of science designed to enable NZ dairy farmers to increase productivity and profit. In 2000 John was appointed General Manager of the NZ National Dairy Industry Extension Program which serviced farm owners, workers and rural professionals. John is a founding shareholder of Synlait Ltd, a large scale dairy farming business in Canterbury and which is now establishing an integrated production processing and distribution business. He has been directly responsible for leading strategy development, business development and financial management. John has extensive experience, and is highly respected, in the dairy industry and agribusiness. He is the past Director of Dairy Insight and current Chairman of the Dairying and Environment Leadership Group. John is a sought after international speaker and recognised author of over 80 research publications.
Jeremy Absolom was a founding shareholder and has been the Chief Executive of Rissington Breedline since the establishment of the company in 2001. The company was a merger of three leading breeding and genetics businesses in the NZ sheep and beef cattle industry. One of those companies was the Absolom family business called Rissington Cattle Company which Jeremy came home to run in 1995 after completing a Bachelor of Commerce at Otago University in 1994. He has held and continues to hold varying directorships in associated companies in NZ and overseas. See www.rissington.com for any further information or email any further questions.
David Foote is Chief Executive Officer of Australian Country Choice in Brisbane. Following completion of schooling in Adelaide, David joined the South Australian Department of Agriculture (Struan Beef Research Centre) before pursuing a career in corporate agribusiness that has now spanned more than 30 years in all mainland states. He has held executive and senior management positions in areas of rural property management, meat retailing, meat processing and exporting , grain and fodder production, processing & exporting, sheep and cattle seedstock production, with companies such as AJ & PA McBride, Kilcoy Pastoral Company, The Myer Family Group and AMP's ; Stanbroke Pastoral Company. During his time at Stanbroke, David developed and launched the Diamantina beef brand and the expansion of their live cattle trade direct to south Asian markets. David joined Australian Country Choice (ACC) in 1999 as general manager Properties & Livestock before being appointed to his current CEO role in 2002.
A graduate of Toi Whakaari (Wellington - 1978), New Zealand’s premier Theatre Arts academy, Mark spent 15 years as a professional actor, director, playwright and opera singer. He then spent much of the next 15 working in NZ and the USA on Sustainable Leadership. After five years with Greenpeace (1990-94), he became Executive Director of not for profit Sustainable Cities (1995-2000) and then of the “Redesigning Resources Business Leadership Group” (2000-04). He is the author of two books on sustainable best practice (2002 & 2004), and wrote a national column on the subject for the Business Monthly from 1996-2005.
Beyond his current role as Executive Director of the Hillary Institute of International Leadership, Mark is Director of Maven Ltd., a strategic consultancy based in Christchurch. He is also an associate director of Professional Arts Services and NEXT Corporation, a trustee of a number of not for profits and the ED of the Untouched World Foundation. Mark is widely-regarded as an independent thinker and partnership-broker.
Peri Drysdale founded Snowy Peak Ltd in 1981, manufacturing high quality luxury natural fibre knitwear. The company pioneered the use of Brushtail possum fur blended with wool in 1992 and launched Merinomink, a blend of fine merino and possum fibre in 1996. Untouched World, a lifestyle concept combining style, performance and simplicity, followed in 1998. The Untouched World Charitable Trust, which focuses on environmental and social projects, was established in 2000. Under Peri's leadership, Snowy Peak has received, among others, the Business Excellence Award, an Export Commendation, New Zealand Sustainable Business Award, and the New Zealand Way award. In 1992 Peri was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to New Zealand (Manufacturing and Export). In April 2007 Peri was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Commerce with the citation making special mention of her achievements in sustainable business. In May 2007 Peri was invited to present with eleven other companies from around the world at a UNESCO workshop in Bonn, Germany, on Education for Sustainable Development in commerce.
Katrina is a partner in a mixed sheep and cattle grazing enterprise at Walcha on the Northern Tablelands in NSW. She works in the family business with her husband in their superfine wool stud which the family established in 1995. Katrina has been extensively involved in the business for 31 years including partnering in the financial management of the business, running the office, managing the family superannuation fund & other off-farm investments, marketing the superfine wool stud as well as being the sheep stud classer and has been wool classing Karori’s superfine wool clip for over 20 years.
Katrina graduated from the University of NSW in 1977 with a B.Soc.Work (Hons) and moved to the country that year when she married. Over that time she has been involved in sheep and wool classing, has owned and managed a successful retail clothing store and was involved with the NSW Farmers Association during the 1990’s where she was a General Councillor and a member of the Economics Committee.
She has been an active member of the community serving on various committees over the years and has been involved in the Tourism Committee and Economic Development Committee of the local council and is currently the President of the Walcha Together Committee which acts to facilitate Tourism and profitable small businesses in Walcha.
Katrina served as a member of the Advisory Board for the Australian Sheep Industry CRC for 2 years and was an invited participant from 2004-2008 of the Future Woolscapes committee formed by Land Water & Wool to develop possible future scenarios for the wool industry over the next 15 years. She is currently a committee member of the New England Sire Evaluation Association.
Shaun Coffey is an agricultural scientist with current enthusiasms for emergence and uncertainty in complex systems. Formerly, Chief of CSIRO Livestock Industries he established the Horizons in Livestock Science Conferences as a vehicle to help celebrate the achievement of animal science in Australasia. Among his honours and awards he received the Silver Medal from the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists in 2001 and a Centenary Medal for Agriculture from the University of Melbourne in 2006. He was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 2004 and a Companion of the Institute of Professional Engineers, NZ in 2008. Shaun is currently Chief Executive of Industrial Research Ltd.
Chris was appointed Chief Executive of Landcorp Farming Ltd - a State Owned Enterprise and New Zealand's largest corporate farmer - in March 2001. Previously he held various positions with the New Zealand Dairy Board, including Strategic Planning Manager, General Manager for Corporate Planning and Global Head of Strategic Industry Relations. Chris also had extensive experience representing farmer interests to the Livestock Improvement Corporation Ltd and the Animal Health Board. Earlier in his career, he practised as a veterinary surgeon and lecturer. He was a Veterinary Advisor for Glaxo Animal Health Ltd and was the General Manager for North East Asia/New Zealand for Pitman Moore Ltd. Chris was Chairman of AgVax Developments, a subsidiary of AgResearch, responsible for commercialisation of Animal Health Products. He is an accredited Director with the Institute of Directors. As well as being on the Board of National Centre for Advanced BioProtection Technologies, he is also a Director of NZ Agricultural ITO, Landcorp Estates Ltd, Landcorp Developments Ltd, and is a member of the Massey Council.
Dr Mackle was CEO of Dexcel since August 2005. Previously, he was general manager of Anchor Ethanol. Coming from a farming family in the South Island, Dr Mackle has a PhD in animal, food and nutritional sciences from Cornell University, New York, and spent several years as a milk characteristics scientist at the Dairying Research Corporation in Hamilton. He moved to a position with the New Zealand Dairy Board as commercial strategist before taking up an executive assistant role to former Fonterra CEO Craig Norgate. Dr Mackle is directly responsible for the combined functions of investment and delivery within DairyNZ.
(New Zealand Council of Wool Exporters Inc.) Nick joined NZCWE in 1993 after many years in CEO/management positions including public health sector (3 years), Vegetable and Potato Growers Federation (10 years), National Parks (E.O. at Tongariro, 9 years), Council for Recreation and Sport (3 years). Have been closely involved with China on behalf of members of CWE on a range of commercial issues but in particular, was the New Zealand representative in the negotiation of the China – Australia – New Zealand Standard Wool Contract completed in 1999. Have been one of the group of people the FTA Team regularly consulted with regarding wool. Currently Secretary to the National Council of New Zealand Wool Interests Inc, having previously chaired that Council for a number of years. I am a regular member of the New Zealand delegation to the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress’ and meetings and was Head of Delegation for a number of years. I have chaired four of the major committees of IWTO, as well as being secretary to another committee.