The independent Board Nomination Committee for candidates to the Australian Wool Innovation director election has handed down its report, including its non-binding recommendations to shareholders on the three board director positions.
Receiving endorsements for the positions are WA commercial producer Neil Jackson, SA-based Collinsville principal George Millington and AgriDigital chief executive officer Emma Weston.
The AWI board has accepted the recommendations of the committee and resolved that open proxies directed to the Chair will be voted in favour of those three candidates.
An AWI spokesperson said no further comment would be made on the recommendations.
The committee also undertook an executive search for specific skills identified to supplement existing skills on the board; namely, digitisation, supply chain, corporate governance and international exposure. Following interviews and background checks, Ms Weston was identified as the preferred candidate based on this process.
AWI shareholders will be entitled to vote for any of the five director candidates who are standing for election to the board at the AGM.
The other two candidates are former WoolProducers Australia president and Yass, NSW, wool producer Ed Storey and WA woolgrower Steve McGuire.
Current directors David Webster and James Morgan are both retiring from the board and both sat on the nomination committee, along with independent chair Julie Cox, Michael Field, an independent member nominated by the Woolgrower Industry Consultation Panel and Michael Thomas, an independent member from an international executive search firm (Heidrick and Struggles).
The three candidates with the most votes from shareholders, in person and by proxy, will be elected to the three vacant positions.
AWI is scheduled to hold its 2023 Annual General Meeting at 10am (AEST) on Friday November 17 at the Swissotel, Sydney, with the director election at the meeting.
Formal notice and meeting papers will be sent to AWI shareholders this month.
Paula Thompson
Paula Thompson is ACM's National Machinery and Ag Tech writer. She has been an agricultural journalist for more than 20 years. Prior to her current role, she was a reporter with the Stock Journal, covering livestock markets and the grains industry.
Paula Thompson is ACM's National Machinery and Ag Tech writer. She has been an agricultural journalist for more than 20 years. Prior to her current role, she was a reporter with the Stock Journal, covering livestock markets and the grains industry.
