Official Event Advisory Panel
Quest Events would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the official event advisory panel who contributed their valuable time and expertise to ensure the agenda for this event is timely and relevant for all stakeholders working in the Australian agribusiness sectors.
Colin Bettles
Canberra Bureau Chief
Fairfax Agriculture Media
Colin Bettles has been the Canberra bureau chief for Fairfax Agricultural Media at Parliament House in Canberra since October 2010.
He originates from a dairy farming background in Western Australia and was the grains writer at Farm Weekly before moving to the nation's capital.
From 1999, he worked at the WA Cricket Association (WACA) in media management and country cricket/game development and was editor ofCricket Week newspaper, before starting with Farm Weekly in April 2006.
He remains an enthusiastic sports reporter on occasion but is also extremely passionate about reporting on political issues concerning Australian farmers, agriculture and the rural sector.
He rates his career highlights as scoring 201 not out for the London Theatres Cricket Club in 1992 and winning Fairfax Agricultural Media's Editorial Person of the Year in 2012. Colin has also won other accolades including best print news media story award for WA Rural Media Association 2012, 2013 and 2015.
Ray Collins
Professor of Agribusiness
University of Queensland
Dr Ray Collins is Professor of Agribusiness at The University of Queensland. He has special interests in agribusiness in developing countries, value chain management, the fresh produce sector, and strategies for new enterprises. His extensive research and postgraduate supervision activities have contributed to agribusiness strategy and management in both developed and developing countries.
Jan Davis
Chief Executive Officer
Agribusiness Association of Australia
Tagged as Tasmania's top political lobbyist and one of the most influential people in the state, Jan is a passionate supporter of all things agricultural. She works as a consultant specialising in government relations, policy and business development in the agribusiness sector. Jan also has a strong background in not-for-profit management, having held leadership roles in a number of industry groups in the agriculture sector.
She is now the CEO of Agribusiness Australia, after having served five years as CEO of Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association. She has more degrees than you can poke a stick at, including a Master of Agribusiness; a Master of Environmental Planning; a Bachelor of Economics; and Graduate Diplomas in Environmental Studies and Education. She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors; a fellow of the Australian Institute of Management; and a Fellow of the Australian Society of Association Executives.
Jan is also an experienced non-executive director. She is currently a member of the boards of Landcare Australia Limited, the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, Fermentation Tasmania Ltd and the Royal Flying Doctor Service (Tasmania). Previous board roles have included Plant Health Australia Ltd, Horticulture Australia Ltd and the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. She also served as chair of the Australian Agricultural Colleges Corporation.
Su McCluskey
Former Chief Executive Officer
Regional Australia Institute
Su is a highly experienced senior executive. She is the Managing Director of Energy Renaissance, a renewable energy start-up company involved in end-to-end battery storage solutions. She is a Non-Executive Director of Australian Unity Limited, the Foundation for Young Australians and the Royal National Capital Agricultural Society. Su is the immediate past Chief Executive Officer of the Regional Australia Institute and the Council of Rural Research and Development Corporations. She is a member of the Ministerial Advisory Council on Skilled Migration and was a member of the Harper Review of Competition Policy, the 2015 Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee and the Rural R&D for Profit Expert Assessment Panel.
Su has held senior positions with the Business Council of Australia, the National Farmers’ Federation and the Australian Taxation Office. Su was named the Westpac/Australian Financial Review Regional Women of Influence in 2013 and received the Women in Agribusiness award in 2014 for outstanding contribution to policy development.