MPEC SPEAKERS
Meet our Speakers
This year’s Meat Processing and Export Conference has the greatest line-up of speakers the meat industry has ever seen. MPEC 23 will feature renowned economist Saul Eslake; highly respected journalists Peter Hartcher and Stan Grant; Minister for Agriculture, Fishing and Forestry Murray Watt; former Ag Minister Joel Fitzgibbon; Supply chain specialist Michael Byrne; and CEO of the RSPCA, Richard Mussell, who will be discussing the future of meat processing according to the RSPCA. In addition to our great keynote speakers, we have Georgie Aley as MC and the greatest minds of the industry participating in hard-hitting panels.
Senator The Hon. Murray Watt
Minister for Agriculture,
Fisheries and Forestry
Murray Watt is the Albanese Government’s Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and Minister for Emergency Management. He has..
Brisbane born and bred, Murray has strong family ties to regional Queensland, with both sides of his family having a long history in farming and teaching.
For over 20 years, Murray’s working life has been spent as an advocate for others, as a lawyer, a public servant and as Chief of Staff to former Premier Anna Bligh. Murray also served one term as a Queensland State MP and Assistant Minister in health and economic portfolios.
Since his election in 2016, Murray played a key role in Senate Estimates and a range of Senate Committees including the Rural and Regional Affairs Committee.
As a Senator and Shadow Minister, he led a number of Senate inquiries into issues including regional development, energy and resources, emergency management and health care.
Saul Eslake
Renowned
Economist
Saul Eslake is one of Australia’s most respected and renowned economic commentators. Having worked as an economist in the Australian financial..
Saul Eslake is one of Australia’s most respected and renowned economic commentators. Having worked as an economist in the Australian financial markets for over 25 years his comments and economic findings have been known to cause a stir in the media.
After more than 25 years working for a number of high-profile financial institutions, Saul established his own economics consultancy business in 2015. His previous roles include; Chief Economist at McIntosh Securities, Chief Economist (International) at National Mutual Funds Management, Chief Economist at the Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ), and Chief Economist (Australia and New Zealand) for Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
An impressive list of qualifications, achievements and presentation testimonials show the real depth and richness of Saul’s experience. Saul’s easily digestible and down to earth insights mean he presents a well-researched and clear economic picture on a range of highly charged and relevant topics to audiences, corporations and ‘mere mortals’ across the globe.
Joel Andrew Fitzgibbon
Former Agriculture Minister
and Labor MP
Joel represented the Hunter electorate between 1996 and 2022. He served as Minister for Defence and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry..
Joel represented the Hunter electorate between 1996 and 2022. He served as Minister for Defence and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in the Rudd Governments. He also served as Chief Government Whip in the Gillard Government.
Joel also held a number of Shadow Ministerial positions including Assistant Treasury, Financial Services, Defence, Mining, Energy, Agriculture, Small Business, Tourism and Regional Australia. He was also the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence & Trade.
A senior player in the political processes over a long period of time, Joel enjoys a high level of respect on both sides of the political divide. For a long period, he was the Convenor of the Labor Party’s Right faction.
Since leaving the Parliament Joel has been retained by CMAX Advisory and serves on the boards of Brickworks, the Australian Forest Products Association, and the Crawford Fund.
Georgie Aley
Georgie has more than 15+ years of Executive and Non-Executive Director experience within the Australian and international food and agribusiness..
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.
Stan Grant
Renowned
Journalist
He was formerly ABC’s Global Affairs and Indigenous Affairs Analyst and host of Q&A. A Wiradjuri man, Stan is an enormously accomplished..
Professor Stan Grant is Vice Chancellor’s Chair of Australian/Indigenous Belonging and Director of The Yindyamarra Institute for Democracy at Charles Sturt University.
He was formerly ABC’s Global Affairs and Indigenous Affairs Analyst and host of Q&A. A Wiradjuri man, Stan is an enormously accomplished journalist, author, filmmaker and presenter, who has won three Walkley awards, a Peabody in the US, and an AACTA Award for the Adam Goodes documentary The Australian Dream, which grew out of an oration he
gave in early 2016.
He is one of Australia’s most respected and awarded journalists, with more than 30 years experience in radio and television news and current affairs. Stan has a strong reputation for independence and integrity and has interviewed international political and business leaders, including our own prime ministers and senior ministers.
In previous roles, Stan served for a decade as a Senior International Correspondent for CNN in Asia and the Middle East, broadcasting to an audience of millions around the world. He has interviewed numerous world leaders including Nelson Mandela, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Condoleezza Rice, Yasser Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas, Shimon Peres, Bill Clinton, and
Australian Prime Ministers Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, and Malcolm Turnbull.
Stan has published six critically acclaimed and best-selling books. He has also written a Quarterly Essay and has contributed opinion articles to Australia’s major news publications. Stan has won numerous international and Australian awards including a Peabody Award, Columbia University Alfred I. duPont award, four times winner of the prestigious Asia TV awards including best news story and reporter of the year, three times winner of the coveted Australian Walkley Award, as well as a TV Logie award, GQ Magazine agenda setter of the year and an Australian Academy of Arts Cinema and Television Award (Australia’s Oscars) as
male TV presenter of the year.
Michael Byrne
Supply Chain Specialist and
Industry Advisor
Michael Byrne was appointed International Freight Coordinator General, Austrade on 31 March 2020 in an interim role to assist
with the..
Michael’s appointment followed a distinguished 30-year career in executive positions both in Australia and internationally in the logistics, supply chain, retail and property sectors. Previous roles include Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Toll Group Holdings; Chief Executive Officer of Coates Hire; Linfox and Westgate Holdings, as well as Non-Executive Director of Australia Post.
Michael currently serves on the Boards of Ausgrid Asset, Management, Finance and Operator Partnership, NSW Ports and Peel Ports UK. Michael is a Senate member, Chair of ARC and Chancellors Advisory Board for the University of Western Australia and is a Strategic Advisor on Infrastructure to IFM Investors and Australian Super. Michael is the Chair of HSE Global, a specialist safety consulting group. In more recent time, Michael has been appointed to the Boards of Sydney Airport, CBH Group and National Intermodal Corporation.
Michael currently serves on the Boards of Ausgrid Asset, Management, Finance and Operator Partnership, NSW Ports and Peel Ports UK. Michael is a Senate member, Chair of ARC and Chancellors Advisory Board for the University of Western Australia and is a Strategic Advisor on Infrastructure to IFM Investors and Australian Super. Michael is the Chair of HSE Global, a specialist safety consulting group. In more recent time, Michael has been appointed to the Boards of Sydney Airport, CBH Group and National Intermodal Corporation.
Previously, Michael has been on numerous government boards advising on transportation, infrastructure, food security and security matters. He has also held board positions with OzHarvest (a food charity) and education committees for Victoria University and the University of Denver.
Michael holds a Master of Science in Transportation and Infrastructure from the University of Denver, USA. He completed management training at the Darden School of Management at the University of Virginia, as well as the International Management Program at the MIT Sloan School of Management, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2017, Michael became the inaugural Adjunct Professor at the Centre for Supply Chain and Logistics at Deakin University.
Michael has been married to Leah for over 30 years and they have three adult children – Sarah, Jacob and Isaac. He has been a patrol captain and board coach at Elouera Surf Club, Sydney, for more than 20 years. Michael has also coached children’s sport for over 30 years in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire.
Peter Hartcher
Renowned
Journalist
Peter Hartcher is a leading Australian journalist and author. He is the political editor and international editor of the SMH and The Age, the the papers’ main..
Peter Hartcher is a leading Australian journalist and author. He is the political editor and international editor of the SMH and The Age, the papers’ main commentator on national politics and international affairs. He is also a visiting fellow at the leading Australian think tank on foreign affairs, the Lowy Institute for International Policy.
Peter has been writing about politics, economics and international affairs for 40 years, including a decade as a foreign correspondent in Tokyo and Washington. He has won multiple awards for his news, financial and investigative journalism and for his books.
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..
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.
Sam Burke
Chef
Sam Burke is an executive chef, marketing and hospitality operations manager with more than 28 years industry experience working with premium beef..
Sam Burke is an executive chef, marketing and hospitality operations manager with more than 28 years industry experience working with premium beef, lamb, veal and goat.
Starting out as an apprentice chef Sam worked his way up the catering trade in butcher shops, corporate, leisure and sporting events including the Olympics and Rugby World Cup, before joining one of Australia’s largest commercial catering companies for 20 years.
Trading catering halls for beef and boardrooms, Sam took over the executive chef reins at Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) in 2014 and has since travelled across Australia and the globe promoting and celebrating the quality and diversity of premium Australian red meat to the wider community.
Sam’s expertise in large scale catering environments has enabled him to educate Australian Red Meat users on plate costs, product development and extracting value from the whole carcase. This included working with McDonalds Japan on new sandwich concepts using Australian red meat alongside their traditional burger offerings and enabling other quick service restaurants and retailers to present smaller primal cuts to suit the growing convenience trend.
Globally, Sam has cooked for thousands ranging from trade shows in Asia, wagyu experts in Japan, politicians, sports stars, musicians in Australia and in 2016 at the Queen’s Young Achievers annual celebration at the Australian High Commission in London.
Sam’s knowledge of red meat spans the entire supply chain, having worked closely alongside farmers, processors, food technology scientists, chefs, restaurant chains, retailers, CEOs and meat traders to understand and celebrate the attributes of beef and lamb to the global chef and foodservice community.