The Federal Government has announced the appointment and re-appointment of directors of the Cotton Research and Development Corporation.

 

Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Senator Joe Ludwig congratulated the five new appointees, Richard Haire, Hamish Millar, Dr Michael Robinson, Cleave Rogan and Dr Lorraine Stephenson, as well as welcoming back Dr Mary Corbett, who has been re-appointed for a second term.

 

“These directors bring impressive collective expertise and experience to govern and lead the corporation into the future,” Minister Ludwig said.

 

“This range of skills, industry experience and scientific and strategic management will benefit Australia’s cotton industry and help drive the international competitiveness and profitability of the industry in the long term.”

 

The Cotton Research and Development Corporation is a statutory authority providing strategic support to the cotton industry through targeted investment in research and development.

 

Cotton Research and Development Corporation appointees:

  • Dr Mary Corbett   – is the managing director of Australian Business Class, which specialises in providing senior executive training in the areas of leadership, resilience, communication, change and strategic and operational planning. She has extensive experience in the areas of research and development notably, as a director of the Sugar Research and Development Corporation and most recently, the Cotton Research and Development Corporation.
  • Mr Richard Haire   – is the Australian and New Zealand managing director and regional head of Olam International, which is one of the world’s largest cotton companies and the largest private ginner in the world. Mr Haire was the Chief Executive of Queensland Cotton Corporation Pty Ltd and has been director of several organisations including Sunwater Limited, the Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Cotton Production and the CSIRO Advisory Board for Field Crops.
  • Mr Hamish Millar   – farms 200 hectares of irrigated land in QLD. He worked in the United States as a cotton classer and trader and with Queensland Cotton Corporation in marketing. Mr Millar has extensive experience in several cotton industry organisations including Chair of the Australian Cotton Growers Research Association, director of the Australian Cotton Industry Council and Chair of Cotton Industry Development in Northern Australia. In 2008, Mr Millar won the Australian Cotton Industry Achiever of the Year Award.
  • Dr Michael Robinson   –is the CEO of FrOG Tech Pty Ltd, a private company specialising in geological reconstructions and interpretations across a range of sectors including oil and groundwater. Dr Robinson was the Executive Director of Land and Water Australia, Centre Director of the Primary Industries Climate Challenge and a member of the National Research and Development Framework Extension Working Group, a part of the subcommittee of the Primary Industries Standing Committee.
  • Mr Cleave Rogan   – has been farming and marketing cotton, grains and beef cattle for 30 years. He has been in an advisory role to the Cotton Research and Development Corporation working on research projects related to biosecurity, insects, weeds, diseases, cotton fibre processing and quality enhancement. Mr Rogan was a director of Cotton Australia and been an industry representative on various other cotton industry associations and research advisory committees.
  • Dr Lorraine Stephenson   – is the Principal Consultant for Lighting Consulting Services, an independent energy and climate change strategic advisory business. Lorraine has over 30 years experience in the energy sector and has a strategic focus on creating opportunities for Australian businesses and governments to respond to climate change challenges. She is the clean energy advisor to the Queensland Government; a member of the Expert Panel on Emissions Intensive Trade Exposed Industries; a research associate at the Australian National University’s Crawford School of Economics and Policy and a member of the NSW Climate Change Council.