Dairy Australia members recently elected two directors at the 2024 annual general meeting and the board appointed Harrisville dairy farmer Paul Roderick as the new Dairy Australia chair, following the retirement of outgoing chair James Mann.
There were two vacancies for the Dairy Australia board for directors with milk producer skills.
The directors elected at the AGM are Euberta dairy farmer Simone Jolliffe (milk producer skills) and Taree dairy farmer James Neal (milk producer skills). Both directors were elected unopposed.
First appointed to the Dairy Australia board in November 2020, Paul Roderick has operated his family dairy farm with wife Linda and parents David and Gwen at Harrisville, South-east Queensland for the past 30 years. He was previously chair of Subtropical Dairy and has held a number of roles serving the industry.
Mr Mann addressed the hybrid meeting from Warrnambool, Victoria, congratulating the directors on their appointments and Paul Roderick for his appointment as chair at a meeting that followed the AGM.
“Paul’s contributions during his time on the board have been deeply valued, and I leave the board confident that his passion for and extensive knowledge of dairy will make him an outstanding Chair,” Mr Mann said.
In his first remarks as Chair, Mr Roderick thanked Mr Mann for his service.
“James has served Australian dairy with distinction for over 20 years, including the last five as Dairy Australia Chair,” Mr Roderick said.
“I look forward to continuing his legacy of championing activities and investments that support the long-term profitability and sustainability of Australian dairy farmers and implementing practical ways to bring science and innovation to dairy farms.”
