Dairy Australia held it’s annual General Meeting in Melbourne, Australia on November 30. During the meeting, three board of director positions were filled. Re-elected chairman was Max Roberts, along with returning director Stephen O’Rourke and new director Len Stephens.
Max Roberts, a dairy farmer from Bega in New South Wales, remains in the chairman position after taking over from long-time industry leader Pat Rowley last year.
Stephen O’Rourke has been working for Murray Goulburn for the past 20 years and is the co-operative’s managing director and chief executive officer. With a background in commerce and accounting, he has undertaken a number of roles within the co-operative, including company secretary, financial controller and finance director. Prior to the establishment of Dairy Australia he was a director of the Australian Dairy Corporation.
Dr Stephens, who is a specialist in agricultural research and development, has an extensive career in agricultural research and development across a range of industries including dairy and is managing director of Australian Seafood CRC. After studying veterinary science at Melbourne University, Dr Stephens worked as a diagnostic pathologist for the dairy industry at the Victorian Department of Primary Industries before becoming head of the Victorian Institute of Animal Science at Attwood. From there he moved into leadership roles at Meat Research Corporation and Meat & Livestock Australia, where he managed all on-farm and live-export research and development. He has also served as the chief executive officer of Australian Wool Innovation.