Our Directors

The Board comprises nine directors who are appointed, in accordance with sections 17 and 77 of the Primary Industries and Energy Research and Development Act 1989 (the PIERD Act), as follows:

• The Chair is selected and appointed by the Minister
• The Executive Director is appointed by the Board on terms and conditions determined by the Board.
• The other directors are appointed by the Minister on the nomination of a selection committee. The Minister appoints the selection committee based on the nominations of the representative organisations.

Directors are selected based on their expertise in one or more of the following fields:

• commodity production,
• commodity processing,
• marketing,
• conservation of natural resources,
• management of natural resources,
• science,
• technology and technology transfer,
• environmental and ecological matters,
• economics,
• administration of research and development,
• finance,
• business management,
• sociology, and
• government policy and public administration.

Directors are appointed for a term not exceeding three years. The Executive Director, holds office at the Board´s pleasure. All directors other than the Executive Director are appointed on a part-time basis.

List of current Directors

• The Hon. Harry Woods
  
• Dr Patrick Hone
• Heather Brayford
• Renata Brooks
• Brett McCallum
• Dr Daryl McPhee
• Stuart Richey AM
• Professor Keith Sainsbury
• Richard A. Stevens OAM

The Hon. Harry Woods: Chair
Appointed as Chair 1 September 2010. 

Harry Woods comes from a diverse background having been an auditor, bookmaker and publican before serving many years as a politician in both the Federal and State Governments. He was the member for Page from 1990 to 1996. Following this Harry was elected as the Member for Clarence in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. During his time in NSW Parliament he was Minister for Regional Development and Minister for Rural Affairs from 1997-99 and Minister for Local Government, Minister for Regional Development and Minister for Rural Affairs from 1999 to his retirement in the 2003.

Since then, Harry has spent time as a professional fisherman, undertaken policy review work for the NSW Government, worked as an accredited mediator and has been involved in the development and building of commercial property. Harry has a good understanding of not only the fishing industry, but the broader primary industries arena. As the member for Page his responsibilities included a diverse range of issues – dairy cattle, pigs, maize, tropical fruit, sugar cane, fishing, prawning, oyster farming, butter and bacon factories, breweries, timber mills, and tourism.

Dr Patrick Hone: Executive Director
Appointed Executive Director from 21 April 2005

Patrick Hone has extensive knowledge of all sectors of the fishing industry. Over the last 11 years he has played a key role in the planning, management and funding of fisheries related research and development in Australia. He has a PhD in the development of aquaculture feed, and has been involved in the development of several significant aquaculture industry developments including Southern Bluefin Tuna, Pacific Oyster, abalone and mussel aquaculture.

Heather Brayford

Ms Brayford has extensive experience in fisheries and aquatic resource management, including her most recent role as Executive Director of Fisheries in the Northern Territory and senior roles with the Department of Fisheries in Western Australia. These roles have included various fisheries management and policy responsibilities in commercial fisheries, recreational fisheries, pearling and aquaculture and fish habitat protection. Ms Brayford will shortly return to WA Fisheries to take up the position of Director Aquatic Management.

Renata Brooks

Executive Director, Science, Innovation & Performance, Primary Industries in Industry & Investment NSW. Her responsibilities include providing strategic science to enhance the growth, sustainability and biosecurity of NSW primary industries. Ms Brooks was previously a Deputy Director-General in the former NSW Department of Primary Industries. Ms Brooks chairs the boards of the NSW Agricultural Genomics Centre and the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit and is a member of the Primary Industries Innovation Centre board.

Brett McCallum

Chief Executive Officer of the Pearl Producers Association. He has held a number of senior roles in the fishing industry and has been involved in a number of government advisory committees. Previous roles include Chief Executive Officer of the Western Australian Fishing Industry Council and National Aquaculture Council director. He chairs the Pearling Legislation Review Working Group, is a board member of the Kimberley Natural Resource Management Group and a member of the Commonwealth Animal Aquatic Health Committee.

Dr Daryl McPhee

Principal Environmental Scientist with WorleyParsons and Director of McPhee Research Consultants. Dr McPhee has worked on behalf of industry and government on projects involving all sectors of the fishing industry. This has included industry development and technology transfer and the development and implementation of environmental management systems. He has published numerous papers and reports on topics related to fisheries and marine ecology and fisheries economics and is the author of the textbook Fisheries Management in Australia.

Stuart Richey AM

Managing Director, Richey Fishing Company Pty Ltd. Mr Richey has held a number of senior positions in the fishing industry on behalf of industry and government. He chairs the Northern Prawn Management Advisory Committee and was a founding director of the Tasmanian Fishing Industry Council, a director for a number of years of the South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association, and a previous deputy chair of the Australian Fisheries Management Authority. He was the previous FRDC board deputy chair.

Professor Keith Sainsbury

Professor of Marine System Science, University of Tasmania and a director of SainSolutions Pty Ltd. Professor Sainsbury is Vice-Chair, Marine Stewardship Council, Science Advisor for the CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship, and a commissioner of the Australian Fisheries Management Authority Commission. Professor Sainsbury is a laureate of the prestigious Japan Prize for Science for his work in understanding shelf ecosystems and their sustainable utilisation (2004).

Richard A. Stevens OAM

is a fisheries management and government relations adviser. Mr Stevens is also a commissioner of the Australian Fisheries Management Authority Commission and a director of the Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority. He chairs the Southern Bluefin Tuna Research Council and a number of fishery management advisory committees. Previous roles include NSW Fisheries Resource Conservation Advisory Council chair and member of the Council of the Australian Maritime College, Tasmania.