MPEC SPEAKERS
Meet our Speakers
MPEC25 is bringing together an impressive lineup of speakers with expertise that goes well beyond meat processing and exports. These leaders in trade, policy, animal welfare, and business innovation will delve into the big issues shaping industries across agriculture, logistics, and beyond. Expect sharp insights and practical solutions on global trade, sustainability, and resilience—topics that matter to anyone navigating today’s complex supply chains. Whether you’re here to connect, learn, or gain a fresh perspective, these speakers will leave you with actionable ideas and a clearer vision of the road ahead.
The Hon. Joe Hockey
Founding Partner & Global President
Bondi Partners
The Hon. Joe Hockey is a global authority on commerce and politics, with nearly 20 years in the Australian Parliament, including as Treasurer..
The Hon. Joe Hockey is a global authority on commerce and politics, with nearly 20 years in the Australian Parliament, including as Treasurer overseeing a record economic run. He chaired the G20 Finance Ministers in 2014 and later served as Australia’s Ambassador to the U.S., negotiating key wins under Presidents Obama and Trump. Now, he advises on business strategy, infrastructure, and global politics, drawing from his deep expertise in diplomacy and economic leadership.
Julie Anna Potts
President and CEO
North American Meat Institute
Julie Anna Potts, President and CEO of the North American Meat Institute, brings extensive leadership experience from corporate and non-profit boards..
Julie Anna Potts has served on corporate and non-profit boards since first joining the board of a Washington, DC, homeless agency, Miriam’s Kitchen, in 2005, while she worked as an associate in a law firm early in her career. Today, she serves on the board of Nationwide, a Fortune 100 protection company providing financial services and property and casualty insurance solutions for almost 100 years. She is currently a Trustee of The Pennsylvania State University where she leads the Governance and Long Range Planning Committee and co-chaired the 2021 Presidential Recruitment and Selection Committee for Penn State’s 19th president.
As the President and CEO of the North American Meat Institute, Julie Anna supports the board of directors for NAMI as an officer, its affiliated Foundation as chair, and assists other organizations in the corporate family with governance and strategy. An agriculture veteran, Julie Anna among many other roles she has previously served the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) as its executive vice president and treasurer.
Rupert Claxton
Meat & Livestock Director
GIRA
Rupert Claxton, Meat and Livestock Director at Gira, has over 20 years of experience as a strategy consultant specialising in global meat and livestock markets..
Rupert has worked as a strategy consultant in the food sector since joining Gira in 2003, with a high level of specialisation in global meat and livestock markets. Gira is an independent food focused consultancy, founded in Geneva in 1979, and working globally across the livestock, meat, dairy, food ingredients and bakery supply chains.
Rupert spends a considerable amount of time analysing the evolving nature of international meat demand and the supply systems that provide it, as well as their internal organisation. This involves working from feed ingredients and genetics, through slaughtering, international trade, and eventually with consumer brands, drawing insight and inspiration from Asia to Europe and the Americas. This gives him a privileged view of the industry at a global level, how it interconnects, and the challenges it faces.
Rupert’s personal background in UK farming affords him a balanced outlook on the increasingly globalised meat industry, between the commercial drivers that control the processing industry and the complex cultural heritage that farming has evolved from.
Dr Deborah Elms
Head of Trade Policy
Hinrich Foundation
Dr. Deborah Elms is Head of Trade Policy at the Hinrich Foundation, Singapore, and the founder of the Asian Trade Centre..
Dr. Deborah Elms is Head of Trade Policy at the Hinrich Foundation in Singapore. Prior to joining the Foundation, she was the Executive Director and Founder of the Asian Trade Centre (ATC). She was also President of the Asia Business Trade Association (ABTA) and the Board Director of the Asian Trade Centre Foundation (ATCF).
Dr. Elms serves on the board of the Trade and Investment Negotiation Adviser (TINA) at the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific (UNESCAP). She was on the International Advisory Council for APCO (2021-2023) and was a member of the International Technical Advisory Committee of the Global Trade Professionals Alliance and Chair of the Working Group on Trade Policy and Law. She was also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Trade and Investment Council for 2018-2020.
Prior to founding ATC/ATCF and the ABTA, she was head of the Temasek Foundation Centre for Trade & Negotiations (TFCTN) and Senior fellow of International Political Economy at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Dr. Elms received a PhD in political science from the University of Washington, a MA in International Relations from the University of Southern California, and bachelor’s degrees from Boston University.
She is the author of numerous articles, editor of several books, and regularly published the Talking Trade Blog (https://www.hinrichfoundation.com/global-trade/talking-trade-blog/). Dr. Elms also routinely appears on television and in major newspapers and magazines around the world to comment on trade and economic issues. Dr. Elms also makes frequent appearances at a range of global trade and economic workshops, conferences, capacity building sessions and negotiations.
Dr. Michael Patching
CEO
Impetus Animal Welfare
Dr. Michael Patching, CEO of Impetus Animal Welfare, is a veterinarian with a Master’s in Animal Welfare Ethics and Law..
Dr Michael Patching is the CEO of Impetus Animal Welfare, an organization dedicated to making livestock welfare easy through cultural and outcome-driven change, especially in high-risk or contentious areas.
A veterinarian with a Master’s in Animal Welfare Ethics and Law, Michael has spent his professional life working with the livestock industry globally, with extensive recent experience in Southeast Asia. Michael’s passion for animal welfare is grounded in helping solve the real challenges of our production systems, considering the values of animals, individuals, and businesses.
He leverages technology, training, and cultural context to drive meaningful change. This includes the use of AI in abattoirs to produce all-the-time objective data and mitigate risks associated with animal and human interactions.
Richard Mussell
CEO
RSPCA
Richard Mussell, CEO of RSPCA Australia, has been an animal welfare leader for nearly a decade. Previously, he led AWL South Australia..
Richard Mussell
CEO, RSPCA
Richard Mussell has been an animal welfare advocate and leader in the sector for almost a decade. Prior to commencing as CEO of RSPCA Australia in January 2020, he led AWL South Australia for six years. Previously, he spent almost 30 years in the travel and tourism industry, including leadership roles with both commercial and not-for-profit organisations such as YHA South Australia, Air New Zealand and Cathay Pacific Airways internationally.
Currently a Board Member with the Community Council for Australia, Richard has also served as a member of the Veterinary Surgeons Board of South Australia and the South Australian Government Animal Welfare Advisory Committee. He was also Chair of the Companion Animal Network Australia and Tourism Industry Council SA. Richard’s formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Business from Edith Cowan University, an MBA from the University of South Australia and graduate membership of the Australian institute of Company Directors.
Dr. Sarah Bolton
Dairy Beef and Animal Walfare Manager
Greenham
With a PhD in Veterinary Science and a Nuffield Scholarship on dairy calf welfare, her work focuses on sustainable food production systems..
Sarah is a veterinarian and animal welfare scientist who has held roles in private and government veterinary practice and has previous experience in dairy farm management and calf rearing. More recently, she has worked as the National Animal Welfare Lead for Dairy Australia and currently holds the position of Dairy Beef and Animal Welfare Manager at Greenham.
She holds a PhD in Veterinary Science (Animal Welfare) and completed a Nuffield Scholarship on surplus dairy calf welfare and cow-calf separation. Sarah’s research has focused on the welfare of surplus dairy calves and approaches to complex challenges in food production. This work has included the use of participatory methods to identify and integrate the needs of a wide range of stakeholders, including industry, the public, and the animals themselves.
She is passionate about working towards food production systems that are simultaneously environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable.
Air Vice-Marshal John Blackburn AO (Retd)
Chair
Institue for Integrated Economic Research
A former Deputy Chief of the Air Force and F/A-18 fighter pilot, he consults on national security and resilience. He leads the National Resilience Project..
Air Vice-Marshal John Blackburn AO (Retd) MDefStud, MStratStud
John Blackburn is the Chair of the Institute for Integrated Economic Research – Australia.
He retired from the Royal Australian Air Force in 2008 as the Deputy Chief of the Air Force, following a career as an F/A-18 fighter pilot, test pilot and strategic planner. Since 2008, John has consulted to Industry and Government Agencies and has undertaken a range of National Security and Resilience related studies, as a Reservist until 2019 , and also with the Institute for Integrated Economic Research – Australia, the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group, the Kokoda Foundation, and the Sir Richard Williams Foundation.
For the past four years he has led a National Resilience Project that has highlighted a lack of resilience in Australia in addressing the pandemic, climate change impacts, the ongoing energy transition, and growing regional security threats.