Cotton Australia  /  Board

Andrew is a cotton grower from Boggabri in North West NSW. For the past four years he has been Vice Chairman of the Upper Namoi Cotton Grower Association. Andrew and his family achieved first place in the Cotton Grower of the Year competition in 2007 and Andrew was named NSW Farmers Association Young Farmer of the Year in 2004. Andrew is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors Course, and has many years experience in the growing and trading of cotton and in the irrigation industry. Andrew is also Cotton Australia’s delegate to the NSW Irrigators Council.

Lyndon is a cotton grower and a member of a diverse family farming organisation situated in the Gwydir Valley. As well as being involved with many cotton industry organisations, Lyndon is also a director on the Moree Rural Lands Protection Board, President of the Australian Piedmontese Cattle Association, and President of the North West Branch of the Beef Improvement Association.

Through her consultancy Blue Dog Agribusiness based in Emerald, Central Queensland, Liz undertakes research, project management, strategic communication, development and extension delivery across eastern Australia. Currently she assists farmers impacted by coal extraction and exploration; supports cotton growers to participate in myBMP and Reef Rescue incentive programs for the Fitzroy Basin Association; is the national sunflower coordinator for the Australian Oilseeds Federation; and a committee member of the tri-annual 2013 Australian Summer Grains Conference. She holds a Masters of Rural Systems Management and is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Stuart Armitage has been successfully growing irrigated and dryland cotton on his property "Wamara" on the Darling Downs for the past 17 years, and has been involved in irrigated cropping for 35 years. He is currently the President of the Darling Downs Cotton Growers Association and was the Darling Downs Cotton Grower of the Year in 2002 & 2010. He has most recently been named the 2011 AgriRisk Innovative Grower of the Year for his dedication to the cotton industry in his region. As a concerned landholder, Stuart is heavily involved in negotiating with the Coal Seam Gas Industry, sits on the Arrow Energy Intensively Farmed Land Committee and is a member of the lobby groups Basin Sustainability Alliance and Save our Darling Downs. He has been actively involved in the sustainability of the Condamine Alluvium for many years and serves as a director of the Central Downs Irrigators Limited.

Appointed Chief Executive Officer of Namoi Cotton in November 2010 and responsible for all of Namoi Cotton's business operations. Since January 2008, Jeremy held the role of General Manager - Operations & Human Resources responsible for all Namoi Cotton's ginning operations, occupational health & safety and human resources management. Between June 2003 and January 2008 Jeremy was Namoi Cotton's Chief Financial Officer managing all financial, taxation, treasury and statutory reporting activities. Jeremy has had previous financial management experience with Harvest Haul Australia and Rolls Royce Marine in Scotland, UK.

Simon’s experience in the cotton industry spans more than 12 years. He became General Manager of Corish Farms in 2001 and in partnership with his family now owns and operates over 15,000 hectares of irrigated, dryland and grazing land over five properties. Since 1999, these cotton farms have won five industry awards for excellence in cotton production and environmental stewardship including the 2005 AgriRisk High Achiever of the Year Award.

Bob has worked in agribusiness for over 30 years, living in Hong Kong for over 8 of those. He is currently Chief Marketing Officer of Queensland Cotton based in Brisbane and is responsible for ensuring the Global Marketing Division achieves consistent returns for growers, while also meeting the needs of spinning mill customers. Bob has just celebrated his 20^th year working for Queensland Cotton, and has contributed immensely to the industry over the years as a member of various industry bodies.

Hamish is an experienced agronomist, grower and farm manager with a long history in the cotton industry starting in 1989 as a cotton consultant. Currently a Consultant Manager to Eastern Australia Agriculture and Malyasian group SEDC, Hamish oversees the operations of a number of properties in South Western Queensland that includes dryland and irrigated cropping and grazing. He manages over 50 staff and contractors, oversees design and implementation of irrigated farming projects and is a practicing member of the Crop Consultants Association. He is also currently growing 1,800 hectares of irrigated cotton on his 10,000 ha family farms at St George and Dirranbandi, Queensland. Hamish has a Certificate in Rural Science — Applied Cotton Production from UNE and an Associate Diploma Applied Science — Rural Techniques, Agronomy from the University of Queensland.

Andrew manages "Keytah" - a well known farming enterprise in the Gwydir Valley. He has been involved in irrigation for over 25 years and during this time has accumulated a wealth of experience in farming wheat, sorghum, lucerne and cotton. Andrew continually looks for ways to improve farming techniques and water efficiency on his property, and was awarded the AgriRisk Innovative Grower of the Year Award at the 2008 Cotton Industry Awards in recognition of this. Andrew is a member of the Gwydir Valley Irrigators Association, the Gwydir Valley Cotton Growers Association and is Chairman of the TIMS Committee.