 Speaker Biographies
Troy Setter, Chief Executive Officer and Director, Consolidated Pastoral Company
Troy is the Chief Executive Officer and Director of Consolidated Pastoral Company, a large, privately owned, Australian and Indonesian Agrifood business.
Troy also currently Chairs the Board of Dolly’s Dream, the Council of Research and Development Corporations and LiveCorp and is a former Chair of the Australian Beef Industry Foundation and several other organisations. Along with having a degree in Rural Science from University of New England, he has also completed the Agribusiness program at Harvard Business School and The Australian Rural Leadership Program.
Troy has worked across the agribusiness industry in production through to processing and marketing for beef, sheep, grains, cotton, land development and logistics. Troy was previously the Chief Operating Officer of Australian Agricultural Company. Troy has held key executive positions with agribusinesses including, North Australian Cattle Company, Torrens Investments, Killara and Twynam Group.
Jo Sheppard, Chief
Executive Officer, Queensland Farmers Federation
Originally from a sheep and cattle property near Cunnamulla in far SW Queensland, Jo has worked across a number of industries from agriculture, small business and local government to education, communications and the NFP sector developing skills in both public and private sectors.
Jo operated her own business for 10 years delivering Vocational Education and Training to the agricultural industry partnering with RTO’s across Queensland and NSW.
Formerly an elected councillor for 12 years including Mayor for 4 years with the Paroo Shire Council, Jo has a sound understanding of regional and remote Queensland and extensive experience in economic development and advocacy.
Previously the CEO with the Toowoomba Chamber of Commerce, and Director – Stakeholder Engagement with the University of Southern Queensland, Jo is now CEO with the Queensland Farmers Federation.
Jo holds a Bachelor of Business (University of Sydney), a Diploma in Executive Leadership (Oxford University), is an Australian Institute of Company Directors graduate and has held a number of board and advisory roles including previously Commissioner with the Queensland Local Government Grants Commission, Director with Sunwater, Director with the Australian Agricultural Colleges Corporation and currently the Chair of Eco-Markets Australia.
Jo is passionate about the agricultural sector and has a special place in her heart for regional and remote Queensland.
Brian Healey, Global Co Lead Agribusiness Partner, K&L Gates
Brian is the Global Co Lead Agribusiness Partner for the K&L Gates Agribusiness practice and leads the team in Australia.
Brian has more than 27 years' experience dedicated to servicing clients in agribusiness and primary industries across Australia. Focusing on agricultural property, water rights and investment in agribusiness, he has advised on some of Australia's most prominent rural transactions in all Australian states in areas as diverse as cattle, cotton, dairy, wheat, horticulture, permanent row crops and vineyards amongst others.
His experience includes all forms of agricultural property transactions, rural and irrigation water transactions, and leading teams in mergers and acquisitions. Brian acts for local and international agribusinesses, primary producers and investors across their range of legal needs. His in-bound clients are drawn from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Singapore and China amongst others.
His North American clients are drawn from North West Arkansas, Seattle, Boston, San Francisco and Montreal. Recognising agriculture and agricultural assets as a distinct investment asset class has allowed Brian to assist investors in agriculture and domestic agribusinesses to match capital with expertise to unlock opportunity for agribusinesses, producers and investors alike.
Clients benefit from his expert and timely services which, when coupled with practical industry knowledge, result in a commercial approach to closing transactions.
Julia Spicer OAM, Queensland's Chief Entrepreneur, Queensland Government
Julia Spicer OAM was appointed as Queensland’s fifth Chief Entrepreneur in late 2022. The Queensland Chief Entrepreneur is the flag bearer for innovation and entrepreneurship in Queensland and Julia approaches this role with a strong focus on bringing the wealth of knowledge from the regions and creating connections throughout the Queensland Innovation Ecosystem to unlock practical solutions and tangible outcomes.
Julia’s priorities in her term as Queensland Chief Entrepreneur are:
Resilience and Transition - Build a sustainable and resilient innovation ecosystem where communities, people and planet are supported, protected and prosperous
Impact - Advocate for innovation and entrepreneurship in Queensland, showcasing success stories to the world and driving positive economic and social impact for Queenslanders
Connection - Foster a connected and thriving Queensland innovation ecosystem ensuring inclusive and equitable access for all
Along with her role as Queensland Chief Entrepreneur, Julia is the Founder of multiple regional businesses based in Goondiwindi, Qld where she lives - Engage & Create Consulting, The Goondiwindi Business Hub Julia continues to run her businesses and has a particular gift for engaging woman and First Nations businesses in her work.
David Smith, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Ceres Tag
David is the Co-Founder, Chair and CEO of Ceres Tag, a world leading multi-specie animal health intelligence company utilising satellite and other technologies in an open collaborative platform to create insights and evidence for animal welfare, sustainability, traceability, biosecurity and performance enhancement throughout the production, companion, wildlife and equine animal sector.
Now operating in 33 countries after only 2 years in market and nearly 5 years of R&D with CSIRO, the vision of “Connecting People with Animals” is well advanced. An engineer and businessman, David has developed businesses throughout Australia, Europe, Americas, Middle East and the Former Soviet Union.
The other co-founder of Ceres Tag is Melita Smith, who he is fortunate to be married, where the idea origination was formed from their respective heritage where they grew up, one in the South Burnett Queensland and the other in the Hunter Valley NSW.
Moderator
Georgie Aley, Partner, National Sector Lead, Consumer Packaged Goods & Agribusiness, KPMG
Georgie has more than 15+ years of Executive and Non-Executive Director experience within the Australian and international food and agribusiness sector. She is currently the National Sector Lead – CPG & Agribusiness leading the Firms sector mandates and supporting our client's growth in market and also leads our Operational Transformation capability within our Operations Advisory business supporting clients to transform their middle office operations. Georgie provides an insightful lens for clients on organisational and industry challenges, ensuring KPMG clients are equipped to solve complex challenges and remain competitive and sustainable.
As a recognised industry leader, Georgie is a trusted advisor to Government, ASX listed and industry/NFP associations, assisting Boards, Directors, C-Suite and Management teams to drive strategic positioning, facilitate sustainable growth and deliver operational excellence. With an extensive industry network, Georgie remains up-to-date on the key trends and opportunities occurring across the sector. Prior to KPMG Georgie held C-Suite roles across the agribusiness and FMCG supply chain.
Georgie is also Non-executive Director of Agribusiness Australia and Chair of Pulse Australia Ltd.
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