Board of directors
John Lloyd
Qualifications: BSc, MBA
Director since November 2019
Mr Lloyd, with his family runs a small agricultural enterprise at Borenore, near Orange, NSW. He has a deep understanding of red meat industry dynamics, knowledge and connections across the agri-food ecosystem including the RDC sector, government and research providers. Mr Lloyd has led and created new funding models that have catered for longer-term strategic issues such as export markets, biosecurity, health and nutrition, pollination, major pests, intensive farming systems and urban greening as well as accessing broader and non-traditional sources of investment. He is the former CEO of Horticulture Innovation Australia/HAL, leading both organisations over a nine-year period of significant growth, change and transition. Mr Lloyd is a Council Member of Charles Sturt University, a director of Menari Business Solutions Pty Ltd, Elders Limited and Chair of Meat & Livestock Australia.
Previous roles:
Mr Lloyd has broad experience across the Australian agribusiness sector with previous roles in senior leadership positions including Managing Director of Case IH/New Holland ANZ; General Manager of Commercial Incitec Pivot; General Manager of Merchandise Wesfarmers Dalgety and director of Wine Australia.
Michael Crowley
Qualifications: B. Rural Science (UNE), Grad Cert Bus Administration (QUT), GAICD
Managing Director since May 2024
Mr Crowley brings over 20 years’ experience within the Australian Red Meat Industry holding a range of commercial positions in the meat & livestock industry including livestock procurement, processing, plant quality assurance, supply chain management, sales and marketing. Mr Crowley operated his own business marketing livestock, running beef processing for branded beef exporters and held his own meat export license. His family operate a stud and commercial beef cattle company in Northern New South Wales, Barraba.
Mr Crowley originally joined MLA in 2009 where he managed the Meat Standards Australia program. In 2012 he moved with his family to Brussels taking on the role of International Business Manager for EU and Russia with MLA. He returned from Brussels in 2015 as the Program Manager – Meat Standards Australia and joined MLA’s Executive Team in 2016 where he was the General Manager Research, Development and Adoption until the end of 2022. This business unit was responsible for investments in RD&A across the supply chain including livestock genetics, on farm productivity, eating quality, sustainability innovation, automation, objective measurement, market access science and product innovation.
More recently Mr Crowley was appointed the CEO of Herefords Australia in 2022 working closely with the seedstock sector to drive commercial outcomes for all customers along the beef supply chain. Mr Crowley is managing director of Meat & Livestock Australia, Chair of MLA Donor Company Limited and Red Meat Traceability Systems.
Previous roles:
Former Board Director and Chief Executive Officer of Herefords Australia. He is a former executive for Meat and Livestock Australia as the General Manager of Research, Development and Adoption. Mr Crowley has also had a long association with ICMJ from 1997 competing as a student before becoming the Australian coach for 6 years and president of the association until 2012.
Russell Lethbridge
Qualifications: Dip Rural Business Management, Cert Animal Husbandry and Farm Engineering (Hons)
Director since December 2017
Mr Lethbridge, with his family, runs Werrington Cattle Company, a commercial beef cattle, breeding, growing and fattening enterprise. Werrington has been in the Lethbridge family for 124 years with the current branch of the family in ownership since 1980. The Werrington business runs over 13,000 head of cattle and comprises a breeding program on 120,000ha of natural eucalypt forest country, approximately 250km west of Townsville and 200km north of Hughenden in north Queensland. The business also consists of Rainmore Station, a 27,000ha property near Alpha in central Queensland. Mr Lethbridge has a deep understanding of cattle production systems, managing breeder and feeder cattle under extreme environmental conditions and pasture nutrition levels, utilising genetic selection and strategic herd management to achieve production and business success. Mr Lethbridge is a director of Meat & Livestock Australia Limited, Integrity Systems Company Limited and a member of the Audit, Finance & Risk Committee.
Previous roles:
Mr Lethbridge was Chair of the Hann Highway Action Group, a member of the Rural Fire Board and a member of the Oak Race Club Committee. He was an elected representative of AgForce for seven years, beginning as Regional Vice President for the north region, then as Regional President and Board Member and member of AgForce Finance Audit and Risk and Agribusiness Finance Drought and Climate Policy Committees. He was a member of the steering committee for the Northern Gulf Resource Management Group to develop and promote a business improvement package for north Australian cattlemen.
Tess Herbert
Qualifications: B. A, Grad Dip Ed, M. Litt, Grad. Cert. Rural Leadership, Masters in Agribusiness, GAICD, ARLF
Director since November 2022
Mrs Herbert owns and manages a sixth-generation family farming businesses in the central west of New South Wales. The operations consist of a cattle feedlot, lamb and wool production and crops, silage, and hay production. She spends most of her time in her office at the feedlot in its daily operations managing compliance, finances, and human resources for the family business. Mrs Herbert has a particular long-standing interest in red meat sustainability initiatives and the integrity systems that underpin Australian red meat production. Mrs Herbert is a director of Meat & Livestock Australia, Integrity Systems Company and a member of the Audit, Finance and Risk Committee.
Previous roles:
Mrs Herbert was previously the President of the Australian Lot Feeders Association, a director of the Red Meat Advisory Council, (RMAC) and chaired the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework Steering Group. She was also a board member for Central Tablelands Local Land Services and chaired the Red Meat Panel.
Jack Holden
Qualifications: B Enviro Mgt (Deakin), M Public Policy & Management (Melbourne), MAICD
Director since November 2022
Mr Holden is a sustainability practitioner with over twenty-five years’ experience in agriculture and forests. He has worked in government, consulting and industry roles and is currently the General Manager - Sustainability for Global Markets in Fonterra Group. Since joining Fonterra in 2011, he has worked with farmers on a full range of farm sustainability issues, most notably on innovations to provide sustainable solutions for livestock farming. He is also Deputy Chair of the Australian Dairy Sustainability Framework, and a member of the Victorian Agriculture and Climate Change Council. Mr Holden is a Director of Meat & Livestock Australia and a member of the Research & Development Investment Committee and a Remuneration, People & Culture Committee.
Previous roles:
Mr Holden was previously a sustainable agriculture extension officer in Western Victoria and was the inaugural Coordinator of the Southern Otway Landcare Network. He became a climate policy analyst in the Greenhouse Policy unit of Victorian Government and then joined KPMG’s Climate Change and Sustainability advisory practice prior to joining Fonterra. He also served as President of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Australia for 5 years until 2022.
Lucinda Hogan
Qualifications: B Agr Sc, Post Graduate Diploma Agricultural Consulting, GAICD
Director since November 2023
Mrs Hogan has devoted her entire career to working in Australian agriculture as a livestock and grain producer, manager of research and development and deliverer of skills and training to farmers across Australia. She and her husband previously owned and managed a large-scale sheep and irrigated grain production business in western NSW and currently breed prime lamb and trade beef on the Northern Tablelands of NSW. Mrs Hogan is currently the Associate Director of Climate Resilience Initiatives at the University of New England, a member of the Agrifutures Emerging Industries Consultative Committee, and a director of Keringal Pty Ltd and Meat & Livestock Australia. Mrs Hogan is also a member of the Research & Development Investment Committee.
Previous roles:
Throughout her career Mrs Hogan has worked in a range of research organisations including CSIRO, Victorian Department of Agriculture, Australian Wool Innovation, Sheep Cooperative Research Centre and the University of New England where she has managed large research and development projects and designed and delivered national training and extension programs particularly related to sheep production and climate resilience. She has been involved in the development and delivery of several digital decision support tools that assist livestock producers to select better genetics and manage feed supply and livestock performance in variable climatic conditions.
Saranne Cooke
Qualifications: PhD, MComLaw, MBus(Mkt), BCom, FCPA, FAICD, FAMI, CPM, GAIST
Director since November 2024
Dr Cooke is a highly experienced Director, Board Chair and Audit and Risk Chair with experience on a variety of boards across the research and education, agricultural, health, sport, financial and not-for-profit sectors. As a long-term resident of regional Australia, Dr Cooke has a genuine understanding of regional and rural issues and communities. She is passionate about the red meat sector and the broader agricultural industry, and the value it provides not only to our regional areas but to our nation as one of our major exports. Dr Cooke previously held a number of executive roles within the energy, financial, education and manufacturing industries. She completed her doctorate researching board governance across the ASX 200 companies.
Dr Cooke's current roles include as Chair of the Royal Flying Doctor Service (South Eastern), Racing NSW, Deputy Chancellor of Charles Sturt University and Director of the Aged and Community Care Providers Association and Meat & Livestock Australia.
Previous roles:
Dr Cooke previously held a number of executive roles within the energy, financial, education and manufacturing sectors and has been a non-executive director of Western NSW Medicare Local, General Practice Registrars Australia, Western NSW Primary Health N/W, Leading Aged Services Australia and Independent Chair of the Sugar Research Australia Director Selection Committee.
Lachie Hart
Qualifications: ARLP, GAICD
Director since November 2024
Mr. Hart is a dynamic and accomplished leader with extensive experience within the red meat supply chain spanning over 40 years. He is currently Chair of the Stockyard Group, a third generation family business that operate across the beef supply chain, including wagyu breeding and backgrounding near Glen Innes, NSW and Yea, Vic., a 20,000 head feed lot at Jondaryan, Qld and the marketing and distribution of “Stockyard” branded beef to numerous domestic and international markets.
Mr. Hart is a Director on the Foundation Board of the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS) – Qld Section, and Australia and Meat & Livestock Australia.
Previous roles:
Chairman of Australian Meat Industry Council (AMIC), Industry’s Market Access Advisory Committee (IMAAC), and Japan Australia Economic Partnership Agreement Taskforce (Japan FTA). Director of Red Meat Advisory Council (RMAC), and the Australia Japan Business Co-operation Committee (AJBCC).
Stephen Lee
Qualifications: B Ag Sc (Hons), PhD, GAICD
Director since November 2024
Dr Stephen Lee has a deep understanding of livestock research and adoption. He undertook his PhD with the Cooperative Research Centre for Beef Genetic Technologies and has published research and led adoption programs spanning enterprise productivity and profitability, genetic improvement, greenhouse gas emissions reduction and improvement of carcass quality. He is currently Director of the South Australian Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub. The Hub has a primary focus on broadacre and pastoral industries and is responsible for delivery of programs that integrate research, development, extension, adoption and commercialisation. He is the 2024 Southern Australia Livestock Research Council Scientist/researcher award recipient and in 2021 received the Jim McColl Australian Institute of Agriculture Young Consultant Award.
Dr Lee is experienced in value chain strategy development, assessment and implementation. In 2015, as Manager of the South Australian Sheep and Beef Industry Blueprints, he worked extensively with a value chain wide working group on the development and successful implementation of the industry growth strategy. He has also led the development of the National Beef Genetics Extension Strategy (2012) and was a member of the National Wool Industry Research Development and Extension Strategy (2018) Industry Steering Committee.
Dr Lee is a member of the Southern Australian Livestock Research Council Executive, the University of Adelaide Davies Livestock Research Centre Advisory Board and Director of Meat & Livestock Australia.
Previous roles:
Member of the Australian Merino Sire Evaluation Association Executive Committee.
