Recruitment of new Directors

Four candidates have been shortlisted by Hort Innovation’s Director Nomination Committee, comprised of 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 Hort Innovation’s Constitution.

The Board candidates for 2022 are:

Jan Vydra (re-nominating Director)

Jan was appointed to the Board in 2019. He is a passionate agribusiness leader and as a first-generation farmer, co-founded Fresh Leaf Limited in 2008. He holds the position of Chief Executive Officer at Fresh Leaf Limited, which is a cultivator, marketer and innovator of fresh leaf greens for consumers and chefs along the east coast of Australia.

Jan is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, currently completing his GAICD. He studied entrepreneurship at RMIT and undertook his Executive MBA through the Australian Graduate School of Management. He is a previous Nuffield Scholar and a member of the Coles Supermarkets Agronomy Group.

Jan received the Australian Young Farmer of the Year Award in 2011 and the 2016 Rabobank Emerging Leader of the Year Award.

Elke Cleverdon

Elke is an experienced non-executive director in the agribusiness and customer-owned banking sector with a passion for member-centric organisations. She brings a grower perspective coupled with her genuine drive to elevate the industry through innovation. She was selected to the National Farmers Federation ‘Diversity in Ag Leadership’ 2022, among 12 women nationally.

Elke has a broad background in the agricultural industry as a producer and rural financial coach across regional NSW challenging business models & production systems for growers across a wide range of horticulture commodities including cherries & stone fruit at Young, apples at Batlow, and citrus & olives in Griffith. Elke is a joint owner & director of a broad acre family farm at Harden NSW since 1993.

Elke brings a wealth of financial, risk management and governance experience. Her current non-executive director roles include Local Land Services (NSW), Murrumbidgee Health (NSW Health) and SWS Credit Union. Some of her many strengths is a strong focus on strategy, risk and a triple bottom line while chairing large scale audit & risk committees

Elke is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD), a Fellow CPA, and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) focused in marketing, finance, business strategy and leadership. Her critical thinking and business acumen after 16 years’ experience as an executive in customer-owned banking and the last six years as a Rural Financial Coach, makes her an ideal candidate seeking to advance producers’ long-term best interests in a fair and strong supply chain.

Anthony (Tony) Cull

Tony brings a breadth of food and agricultural experience with a deep understanding of ASEAN markets and China. In a career spanning 25 years in Australian and international agribusiness, manufacturing, fast moving consumer goods, seafood and commodity exports he has proven expertise in designing long-term business sustainability solutions in highly complex and competitive industries.

His experience is both board and executive, with responsibilities including, risk management, finance, accounting, corporate strategy and governance; having held senior operational and financial roles in SE and East Asia for Tate & Lyle PLC a global food ingredients company, as well as a Director for Tate & Lyle Group subsidiaries and related companies.

An accomplished and active director Tony enjoys bringing his broad manufacturing insight into the commercialisation of innovation pipelines and the implementation of market access strategies that provide the greatest opportunities and gains for agricultural and food manufacturing organisations.

He is currently an Independent Non-Executive Director of the Geraldton Fishermen’s Co-operative Ltd, Western Australia Exporter of the Year in 2019 and Chair of Kalyx Australia Pty Ltd, a national provider of  independent research to Australian agriculture and horticulture. Tony is also active in the not-for-profit sector including as a Non-Executive Director Director of The Collaborative Research Centre for Honey Bee Products a Non-Executive Director of Chorus Australia Limited and a Non-Executive Director Director of The Future Food Systems Cooperative Research Centre and currently sits on the Project Management Group overseeing the development of the Food Technology Facility within the Food Innovation Precinct of Western Australia.

Tony holds a Bachelor of Business and an MBA from Curtin University, is a Member of CPA Australia and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Stephen (Steve) McCutcheon

Steve has extensive experience working with the agriculture and food sectors in private and public sector settings.

From 1980-87, Steve worked in a number of positions in the banking sector related to rural lending. He joined the now Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in 1987 and worked with a number of horticultural industries to implement government economic reforms. Later, as Executive Manager of the Department’s Product Integrity, Animal and Plant Health Division, he administered the Australian Government’s role in national biosecurity and food safety arrangements along with its participation in international standards-setting arrangements for food as leader of the Australian delegation to the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

In 2007, Steve was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). He held this position until his retirement in 2017 and during his tenure led the development of a range of new food standards including a number of primary production and processing standards and a new standard for health and related claims about food.

During his career, Steve has held a number of board positions on Australian Government entities including the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority and FSANZ. He is currently a Non-Executive Director and Chair of Plant Health Australia Limited, Non-Executive Director and Chair of Valmar Support Services Limited and a Governing Board Member of the Joint Accreditation System for Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ).

Steve has a Bachelor of Economics degree from Sydney University and a Graduate Diploma in Public Law from the Australian National University. He is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.