The Board of Grains Australia sets strategic direction and monitors ongoing performance. It is governed by a Charter which sets out policies and procedures for the Board and Board Committees including the Audit and Risk Committee.
Proposed 2024 Annual General Meeting Date: 3 October
Advisory Committee
Grains Australia is supported by an Advisory Committee which meets quarterly and provides advice to the Board. The Advisory Committee is governed by a Charter which sets out roles, responsibilities and procedures.
The Grains Australia Advisory Committee consists of representatives from:
Board Members
Andrew Young - Chair
Based in Western Australia, Andrew Young has over 27 years’ experience in senior executive and director roles in leading agribusiness based in Australia and South East Asia.
He is currently involved in several large agribusinesses in Non-Executive and advisory roles. Andrew is the Chair of Westpork Pty Ltd, Western Australia’s largest pork producer, grain export business Plum Grove and avocado producer Alterra. He has previously held senior management and director roles at CBH Group, Interflour, Austock and Plum Grove.
Andrew holds a BA from Curtain University, is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and completed the Advanced Management Program at INSEAD.
Catherine Cooper
Based in South Australia, Catherine Cooper is an experienced Non-Executive Director with a portfolio of approximately 50 Board positions over 20 years. She is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD).
In addition to her background as a corporate lawyer, Catherine has had a senior management career in agribusiness (Elders and Foster’s Brewing Group) both domestically and internationally.
Catherine brings a wealth of experience in strategy, R&D, and achieving commercial outcomes. Her strategic governance and risk management skills are well established.
Catherine’s roles include Chair of the Environment Protection Authority SA and a director of the Australian Composites Manufacturing CRC. She is also a former Deputy Chair/Commissioner of the Australian Fisheries Management Authority.
Andrew Earle
Andrew Earle is Managing Partner of farming operation ‘Bullwarrie’ at Thallon on the Queensland and New South Wales border.
He is also a partner and manager in share farming partnerships, growing dryland winter crops and irrigated summer crops, and is partner in a local grain storage business and a fuel supply business.
Andrew is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAID) Company Directors Course and has a diploma in Farm Management from Marcus Oldham College, Geelong.
He is an experienced Board member, including serving as Deputy Chair on the Grain Producers Australia Board – to which he was first appointed as a director in 2013.
Rebecca Reardon
Rebecca Reardon operates a broad acre farming operation in Moree, NSW with her husband. She has over 25 years in leadership roles for private and public grain agribusiness companies and in board director roles.
She is currently on the board of NSW Farmers Association, NSW Farmers Industrial Association, Grains Australia and Queensland Sugar. Rebecca has previously served on the boards of Grain Trade Australia, North West NSW Local Land Services and Direct Fertilizers Vic, as well as on the Wheat Industry Advisory Taskforce and the Grain Producers Australia (GPA) Policy Group.
Rebecca is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and holds an Honours degree in Agricultural Economics.
Stuart Richardson
Based in Victoria, Stuart Richardson has over 30 years’ experience in the grains industry.
A former Director of Grain Trade Australia and former Head of Trading at AWB, Stuart developed and executed expansion strategies for AWB Limited global markets, as well as managing domestic activities.
Stuart also has experience in the horticulture sector through investments in turf genetics and marketing company Turfbreed Pty Ltd which focusses on provision of advanced turf grass varieties for growers in Australia.
He is currently one of the leading physical grain brokers in Australia and is affiliated with the McDonald Pelz Global Commodities group globally, and has board roles with AEGIC and is the Chair of Turfbreed Pty Ltd.
Women in Leadership Development Program
The Board of Grains Australia is currently supporting a participant in the Women in Leadership Development (WILD) Program, a Federal Government-supported program that helps women attain senior leadership roles and company directorships.
Part three of the WILD Program is a board observership experience providing participants with real-world board experience. The WILD Program participant is attending Grains Australia Board meetings during 2023 and de-briefing sessions to consolidate learning and help prepare them for working closely with boards and senior management.