Cotton Australia  /  Board

Joanne is a cotton producer from Mungindi, northwest NSW and is responsible for the business and human resource management of the farm enterprise. She is past Chairman of the Mungindi Water Users & Cotton Growers Association and has been an active member of several community groups representing stakeholders interests in the areas of communication, tourism and strategic solutions. Joanne is the inaugural recipient of the Industry Partnerships Initiative—Corporate Governance for Rural Women, 2002 and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She is also a graduate of the Murray Darling Basin Leadership Program for 2005. Currently Joanne is a member of the Border Rivers Sub-Catchment Assessment Panel for the Qld Murray Darling Commission and Vice Chairman of Queensland Farmers Federation. Joanne also represents Cotton Australia at the National Farmers Federation.

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.

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.

Bob is Chief Executive Officer of Namoi Cotton Co-operative Ltd. Bob joined Namoi Cotton as Deputy Chief Executive Officer in 1997. Namoi Cotton is one of Australia’s largest cotton ginning and marketing organisations with a strategic network of gins and marketing offices throughout the cotton growing regions of eastern Australia. Prior to joining Namoi Cotton Bob held various management positions with Golden Circle, preceded by managerial and financial experience with Elders IXL, Repco, Johnson & Johnson and Amcor Ltd.

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.

Hamish is a cotton grower from Emerald in Central Queensland and has extensive experience in cotton production, marketing and research. He currently manages 2,000 hectares of irrigated and rain grown crops within a family partnership. Hamish was a past Chairman of the Australian Cotton Growers Research Association (ACGRA), has been a Director of the Australian Cotton Industry Council (ACIC) and recently represented the Australian cotton industry at the International Federation of Agricultural Producers Young Farmers Conference.

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.

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.

Cleave is a cotton grower from St George in South West Queensland who owns and operates a cotton, and grain production farm. With a decade of representing Cotton Growers at a research level and over two decades as a grower, he provides a genuine representation for linking science to farming practices.