Four candidates are in the running for three vacant Board positions at Hort Innovation, the grower-owned research and development corporation for Australian horticulture.

Hort Innovation Voting Members will vote online, by telephone and in-person in Brisbane at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on November 24, 2023.

Hort Innovation Chair, Julie Bird, said each candidate had been shortlisted by the Director Nomination Committee during a rigorous selection process and have been nominated based on their relevant skills and experience.

The Director Nomination Committee was comprised by the Hort Innovation Chair, together with three independent members – a levy payer, a nominee of the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry, and an ‘independent eminent person’, in keeping with the Hort Innovation Constitution.

“With the value of Australian horticulture projected to increase, equipping growers with the necessary knowledge and tools is of critical importance,” Ms Bird said. “Hort Innovation is attuned to the needs expressed by growers, and we are adapting to address them.”

The 2023 Board candidates are:

• Michael Nixon (re-nominating Director): First appointed to the Board in 2020. Mr Nixon is passionate about Australian horticulture and innovation. He grew up in agriculture, with his family farming sheep, cattle and wheat. Mr Nixon previously owned and grew a broad range of horticultural crops his Carnarvon-based business, River Lodge.
  
  
• Victoria Taylor (re-nominating Director): First appointed to the Board in 2020. Ms Taylor has more than 20 years’ experience in agricultural policy, governance and communications. Ms Taylor is an experienced Board member, being the current Chair of the Rice Marketing Board for the State of NSW, Chair of the Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology at the Australian National University, and a Non-Executive Director of WaterNSW.
  
  
• Ian Halliday: Mr Halliday is an experienced Non-Executive Director, Managing Director and CEO, having worked for numerous organisations, primarily in the Australian Food/Agricultural sector. Mr Halliday has also worked in the UK/European Food industry and has lived and worked in the Middle East, supporting Australian agricultural exporters (including horticulture).
  
  
• John Said: Mr Said has established and successfully managed a thriving fresh produce company for the past 30 years developing great strength in strategy and business management. Mr Said is an experienced Board Chair and Director, servicing national and global horticultural associations.

To learn more about the upcoming AGM and Board candidates, go to the Hort Innovation website here.