With Dairy Australia’s current five-year Strategic Plan concluding and a new strategy starting in July, Dr Nation sees this as an opportunity to leave the organisation in a strong position for a future leader.
“Leading Dairy Australia has been an immense privilege, and I am proud of what I have achieved together with outstanding people in the organisation who show genuine passion for delivering outcomes for farmers each day,” Dr Nation said.
“There are many standout achievements that I will reflect on fondly, from expanding our presence in the regions and improving our connection with farmers through to strengthening our domestic and export markets.”
Dairy Australia chair Paul Roderick congratulated Dr Nation on his achievements and acknowledged his contributions during his time as managing director.
“David’s leadership combined with his deep knowledge and understanding of dairy research and innovation has been a major contributor to the Australian dairy industry,” Mr Roderick said.
Dr Nation joined Dairy Australia in 2018 with extensive experience across the dairy industry, including serving as co-director of DairyBio and DairyFeedbase, and CEO at Dairy Futures CRC.
The Dairy Australia Board has engaged executive recruitment firm Pacific Search Partners to manage the process of hiring Dr Nation’s replacement, with the search expected to take up to six months.
That search could lead to Dairy Australia’s next corporate leader being a chief executive officer rather than a managing director.
The Dairy Australia AGM at Warrnambool on November 27 endorsed a resolution developed in conjunction with Australian Dairy Farmers to amend its constitution to provide an option for the board to appoint either a managing director or a CEO.
Dairy Australia’s constitution had stipulated the board must appoint a managing director.
Outgoing chair James Mann said the change would give DA greater flexibility to get the best person for the position.
Mr Mann told Dairy News Australia at the AGM that DA did not propose to change its current arrangement with Dr Nation.
He said that by virtue of their appointment, a managing director became a member of the board, while a chief executive officer may or may not be a member of the board at the board’s discretion.
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