AUSVEG Board
The AUSVEG Board of Directors is made up of representatives from our state member organisations, as well as Board-appointed skills-based Directors.
Bill Bulmer
Lindenow grower Bill Bulmer was elected to the AUSVEG Board on 27 November 2014, and elected as AUSVEG Chair on 13 November 2017.
Bill is a third generation Victorian vegetable farmer running the family business Bulmer Farms Pty Ltd.
Bulmer Farms supplies the processing industry in Bairnsdale, Melbourne and Sydney and the Fresh Markets all down the eastern sea board.
Bill is an active member of the vegetable industry and the local community, currently serving on the Vegetable Growers Association of Victoria Executive Committee, a member of the AUSVEG board, VFF Hort Committee, Board member of the East Gippsland Water Catchment Authority, Chair of the Mitchell River Catchment Agricultural Business Association, Chair of the Lindenow irrigators advisory committee, former Chair of the East Gippsland Food Cluster and previously as the President and Life Member of the Lindenow Football and Netball clubs, bringing a range of skills and insights to the AUSVEG Board.
Renee Pye
Renee Pye is the General Manager of leading potato, carrot and onion packhouse Zerella Fresh. Renee is involved in a number of key areas of the business, including new product development and marketing, and is an emerging leader in the South Australian industry. She has overseen the development of Zerella Fresh’s Spud Lite range, which has contributed significantly to the company’s recent growth.
Renee is a committed industry representative, sitting on a number of Boards, including AUSVEG SA, the Murraylands Food Alliance and Hort Innovation potato marketing consultation committees.
She regularly works with politicians at the state level and has been the spokesperson for a number of key AUSVEG SA campaigns in labour attraction and securing key infrastructure investments for industry.
Andrew Moon
Andrew Moon from Moonrocks, farms alongside his brother David in the South -West Queensland town of St George. In the early 90s the brothers started growing rockmelons. Today they specialise in onions, garlic, and pumpkins.
Andrew’s key role in the business is post-farm production, marketing, and logistics. Their key customer base is broad, specialising in fresh and process product for both domestic and international markets.
Being involved with industry groups has always been important to Andrew. He served as Chair of Onions Australia from 2013 – 2016. Prior to that he was on the Onions Industry Advisory Committee for five years. He is now in an advisory role on the Hort Innovation Post-Farmgate Vegetable SIAP. Andrew was appointed as a Grower Director on the AUSVEG Board in November 2022.
Ed Fagan
Cowra, NSW grower Ed Fagan was elected to the AUSVEG Board in 2023.
Ed is a fifth generation NSW vegetable farmer running the family farming business Mulyan Pty Ltd. Mulyan comprises of three main enterprises – livestock, broadacre farming and intensive horticulture. The main vegetable crops grown are beetroot, corn and asparagus. The business has been growing vegetables since 1943 and processing vegetables since 2014.
Ed is an active member of the vegetable and irrigation industries, currently serving on the board of Lachlan Valley Water, and served from 2011 to 2022 on the Hort Innovation Pre-Farm Gate SIAP and Advanced Cropping Systems EAP. Ed is currently the Chair of the Water NSW Lachlan Customer Advisory Pannel and is a member of the Spark Labs Cultiv8 start up accelerator mentor panel. He has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Sydney.
Ed has been nominated for the Horticulture Awards for Excellence Vegetable Grower of the Year five times, and was the NSW Farmer of the Year in 2015.
Pennie Patane
Elected to the AUSVEG Board in January 2020, Pennie has a background in banking, and she married into the horticulture sector. Pennie and her husband Michael established their vegetable growing business in 1999, commencing with potatoes and moving into carrots, onions and broccoli. Their vertically integrated business supplies the retail sector, export markets and their own wholesale market floor.
Pennie has been a past committee member of the Potato Growers Association of Western Australia, and she is currently a member of the Potato Strategic Investment Advisory Panel as well as Chair of the Myalup Coast Growers. Additionally, Pennie is a member of the Harvey Agricultural College Advisory Panel. Pennie’s key interest is how we can get more youth interested in horticulture as a career.
Mark Kable
Mark Kable is the co-owner of Harvest Moon, which is one of the largest vegetable growing businesses in Australia that operates across Tasmania, Victoria and Queensland. Harvest Moon Tasmania grows onions, carrots, beans, broccoli and cauliflower on a yearly basis, while its mainland branches in Victoria and Queensland source additional produce from more than 80 growers, giving the business nation-wide exposure through markets and retail networks.
Mark has held many positions within the industry, including currently serving as the Chair of the Tasmanian Agricultural Productivity Group, which brings together primary producers, the food and non food agricultural manufacturing sector, plantation forestry, agribusiness (services to agriculture) and Government.
Mark was nominated to join the AUSVEG Board as a Grower Director in November 2022.
Mitchael Curtis
Elected to the AUSVEG Board in September 2020, Mitchael Curtis is the owner-operator of Kings Farms, a third-generation family farm based just south of Katherine in the Northern Territory. Established as the first commercial mango plantation in the Venn area, Mitchael now runs the farm with his family after taking over operations from his father. Under Mitch’s management, the farm has seen significant growth and expansion and now harvests pumpkins, eggplants, watermelons, cassava, bush honey and over five million mangoes each year.
Mitchael is a past board member of the Northern Territory Mango Industry Association. He is passionate about education and training as well as philanthropy projects in countries such as India, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu.
AUSVEG Board
The AUSVEG Board of Directors is made up of representatives from our state member organisations, as well as Board-appointed skills-based Directors.
Theodora Elia-Adams
Theodora is an experienced Non-Executive Director and Chair of Audit, Risk and Finance with extensive governance and business advisory experience. She is an active Chartered Accountant and former Senior Partner at Ernst and Young. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Taxation from the University of Melbourne, and is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a graduate of the Women on Boards WOBSX program.
AUSVEG Leadership Team
The AUSVEG Leadership Team holds deep expertise in Australian horticulture and in their areas of responsibility.
Michael Coote
03 9882 0277
Michael Coote holds the role of AUSVEG Chief Executive Officer.
Michael has been a key member of the AUSVEG Leadership Team, having held the role of AUSVEG National Manager – Export Development since 2014, where he led and transformed the industry’s export activities and strategy, with a strong focus on grower capability building and market engagement to grow the industry’s trade to high-impact markets.
He is a management professional with over 10 years of experience in the delivery of large-scale transformation, reform and government efficiency initiatives.
Michael has consulted across a range of industries and sectors, including state and federal government, not-for-profit organisations and industry associations.
Nev Crljenkovic
03 9882 0277
Nev has held the role of AUSVEG Chief Financial Officer since 2010.
As AUSVEG’s Chief Financial Officer, Nev oversees the finance and accounting function at AUSVEG. Nev’s team is responsible for ensuring the efficient financial management and financial controls necessary to support all business activities.
Nev holds a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) from Swinburne University, is a Certified Practicing Accountant (CPA) and has a public practice sector background.
Lucy Gregg
Lucy has an extensive career in the primary industry and export sector.
Lucy is responsible for building strong relationships with government and industry, as well as building evidence-based cases that AUSVEG can use to advocate for growers on the issues that are impeding their growth and prosperity.
Lucy has worked across a range of organisations including State premiers, industry associations and commercial horticultural businesses.
Lucy’s background provides a diverse skill set across a range of issues such as export, sales and marketing, biosecurity, quality assurance, freight and logistics, value adding, health and nutrition, advocacy and policy.
Nathan McIntyre
03 9882 0277
Nathan McIntyre is the National Manager – Events & Partnerships, and is responsible for overseeing the Hort Connections trade show and conference and other events, as well as developing and maintaining the numerous Strategic Partnerships that AUSVEG has established over the years.
Nathan holds a Bachelor of Business majoring in Public Relations and has a background in Marketing within the sporting sector, having previously worked on major marketing campaigns for Golf Australia.
Zarmeen Hassan
03 9882 0277
Zarmeen Hassan brings a wealth of experience across industry and the private sector to her work leading AUSVEG’s science and extension projects, including from previous roles with global organisations like Monsanto, FrieslandCampina, Reckitt Benckiser and Coca-Cola.
Zarmeen has extensive leadership experience, holding multiple roles managing teams and projects across a wide range of disciplines, including agriculture, marketing, communications, business and policy development.
Recently, she has spent time in Pakistan to develop transformative solutions for the agricultural sector, working with multiple stakeholders from industry, government, finance, growers, academia and donor agencies to forge public private partnerships for the development of the agriculture sector.
Andrew MacDonald
Andrew is a media, communications and public affairs professional with experience working for national and state-based peak bodies, member organisations and government entities in the horticulture, agriculture, healthcare, education and industrial relations sectors.
He has also worked as a print and online journalist for major metropolitan news outlets in southeast Queensland.
As National Manager – Communications, Andrew oversees AUSVEG’s industry communications activities and projects, and media relations functions.
Sarah Cormack
As the AUSVEG Office Manager, Sarah assumes a crucial role in overseeing the operational and administrative functions of the office, demonstrating a commitment to maintaining a well-organised and efficient work environment.
Sarah brings a meticulous attention to detail and a passion for implementing processes to enhance productivity. Additionally, Sarah serves as the Secretariat to the Board, managing the administration of Board meetings with a focus on ensuring a smooth decision-making process.
Andrea Lin
Andrea has over nine years of experience working in the vegetable industry. She worked for a successful Australian vegetable grower-exporter managing their export operations prior joining AUSVEG.
She holds tertiary qualifications, including a Bachelor of Business and Commence majoring in International Business and Accounting, and a Master of International Business.
Andrea is fluent in multiple Asian languages which facilitates effective communication in international trade development and fosters connections within the culturally diverse international settings.
AUSVEG Members
AUSVEG is a nationally federated body whose members are the state and territory industry associations for the vegetable, onion and potato sectors.
With a staffed office and full-time State Manager, AUSVEG SA is a means of ensuring effective agri-political representation and links to national industry programs for South Australian growers.
AUSVEG SA’s goals are to ramp up the advocacy effort on behalf of South Australian growers with state and local governments, to ensure they have proper representation on key issues, as well as effective dialogue into the R&D process.
South Australian-raised Mr Jordan Brooke-Barnett is AUSVEG State Manager – South Australia. He is based at the AUSVEG SA office in Suite 205, 22 Grenfell Street, Adelaide SA 5000, but spends plenty of time in the field, listening to growers about the issues that matter to them.
Mr Brooke-Barnett acts a key point of contact for growers within the state. A major part of his role is assessing key priorities for representation and potential on-farm services to assist the industry.
Mr Brooke-Barnett extends the strong model for advocacy on industry issues that AUSVEG has established at the national level to South Australian growers. AUSVEG has the goal of using its experience in effectively representing grower interests with government and the community to further the development of horticulture in the state.
For more information, please visit their website here.
Contact details
Phone: 08 8221 5220
E-mail: jordan.brooke-barnett@ausveg.com.au
AUSVEG VIC was established to ensure effective agri-political representation and links to national industry programs. AUSVEG VIC is the new name for the Vegetable Growers Association of Victoria (VGA), and is building upon the work done by the VGA on behalf of Victorian vegetable growers since it was established in 1923.
The State Manager works closely with the AUSVEG VIC Executive Committee – formerly known as the VGA Executive Committee, with many of the same members – to assess key priorities for representation and potential on-farm services to assist the industry.
AUSVEG VIC extends the strong model for advocacy on industry issues that AUSVEG has established at the national level to Victorian growers. AUSVEG has the goal of using its experience in effectively representing grower interests with government and the community to further the development of horticulture in the state.
For more information, please visit their website here.
Contact details
Phone: 03 9882 0277
E-mail: info@ausvegvic.com.au
Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers (QFVG) is the state industry body representing Queensland’s commercial fruit, vegetable, and nut growers. To us, horticulture is the most vital industry in the world.
We exist to ensure strength in the horticultural industry for generations to come. We provide the voice for horticultural growers in Queensland and are a valued service delivery partner. It is our belief that outcomes can only be achieved with the grower at the centre of what we do.
QFVG operates a dedicated project delivery arm, Growcom. We continually strive to be the provider of choice and to be recognised for our high-quality delivery. Our humanistic approach is that all services must be practical, useful, and relevant to growers.
For more information, please visit the QFVG website.
Contact details
Phone: 07 3620 3844
E-mail: qfvg@qfvg.com.au
The New South Wales Farmers Association (NSW Farmers) is the representative voice of farmers in NSW and works to ensure the best possible results for farmers, rural and regional communities. NSW Farmers represents a number of different groups through policy development, government lobbying, industrial relations, and education and training.
For more information, please visit the NSW Farmers website.
Contact details
Phone: 02 9478 1000
The Northern Territory Farmers Association (NT Farmers) is the peak body for plant-based industries in the Northern Territory, and is an amalgam of the former Northern Territory Agricultural and Horticultural Associations. NT Farmers commenced operation on 1 July 2012.
NT Farmers’ membership comprises a range of incorporated entities and other commodity or special interest groups, and it currently has more than 100 members in its organisation.
For more information, please visit the NT Farmers website.
Contact details
Phone: 08 8983 3233
E-mail: info@ntfarmers.org.au
The Potato Growers Association of WA (Inc) is the peak industry body for the Western Australian potato industry – representing potato growers across the state.
For more information, please visit the WA Potatoes website.
Contact details
Phone: 08 9481 0834
E-mail: potatoes@vegetableswa.com.au
TasFarmers (formerly the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association) is Tasmania’s peak agricultural body, representing the interests of those who work on the land.
At present, TasFarmers represents approximately 80% of enterprises within the Tasmanian agricultural sector.
For more information, please visit the TasFarmers website.
Contact details
Phone: 03 6332 1800
E-mail: reception@tfga.com.au
vegetablesWA represents the interests of vegetable growers in Western Australia and provides vegetable growers with industry representation and development services to ensure they remain internationally competitive and at the forefront of best business practices.
For more information, please visit the vegetablesWA website.
Contact details
Phone: 08 9486 7515
E-mail: office@vegetableswa.com.au
PARTNERS
Strategic Partners
AUSVEG has forged Strategic Partnerships with a number of leading agribusinesses and service providers throughout the vegetable, onion and potato industry supply-chain in an effort to enhance outcomes for growers.
These partnerships provide mutual benefits for both the vegetable, onion and potato industries and those agribusinesses in the supply-chain we partner with. Relationships with strategic partners have the benefit of strengthening our links throughout the supply-chain. In addition, these partnerships facilitate closer collaboration on research and development (R&D) initiatives which ultimately benefit growers and the broader industry.
LEADING STRATEGIC PARTNERS
Industry Partners
Hort Innovation
Hort Innovation is the research and development corporation (RDC) responsible for investing horticulture levy funds into research and development projects that have a positive short-term and long-term impact, marketing activities that grow industries and building the local and international competitiveness of Australian horticulture.
Integrity
AUSVEG will be approachable, open, honest, accountable and ethical in all business practices.
Industry
AUSVEG will commit to the best outcome for growers and industry at all times, and will actively communicate with industry to build strong relationships with key stakeholders.
Innovation
AUSVEG will value the importance of innovation, and will actively foster a culture that embraces change and new ideas.
Respect
AUSVEG will be considerate and mindful of the opinions and values of others, and will recognise and support all stakeholders.
Professionalism
AUSVEG will continue to be at the forefront of the industry through teamwork and leadership, and will uphold the highest quality of professionalism at all times.
our values
AUSVEG Values
Explore the core principles that drive our mission, shape our company culture, and inspire our commitment to excellence and integrity in everything we do.