Herefords Australia has made a high-profile appointment to fill the vacancy left following the recent resignation of general manager, Andrew Donoghue.

Appointed recently as the breed’s new chief executive officer was former Meat & Livestock Australia executive team-member, Lisa Sharp.

Ms Sharp has held executive, marketing and communication leadership roles across several public, private, and not-for-profit organisations, most recently serving five years with MLA as chief marketing and insights officer.

Here, she worked across multiple business units and locations to deliver marketing initiatives designed to grow global demand for Australian red meat and communication initiatives designed to strengthen member awareness of MLA programs and adoption of resources.

Ms Sharp became well-known within the red meat industry, speaking as an MLA representative at producer gatherings across the country on consumer trends and related topics.

She recently completed a strategic marketing plan for Herefords Australia, now being adopted.

Prior to working at MLA, Ms Sharp worked with several leading food and beverage companies including SPC Ardmona, Uncle Tobys, Kraft Foods and Coca Cola Amatil, and held executive positions with SPC Ardmona, PZ Cussons and Novartis Consumer Health.

Chair of Herefords Australia, Trish Worth, said it was Ms Sharp’s combination of general management and red meat marketing experience that impressed the board.

“Her appointment acknowledges the importance of marketing and promotion to our members.  With the national beef herd rebuild underway, now is the time to promote the benefits of Herefords to commercial producers and others in the supply chain,” Ms Worth said.

“With several research projects also completed, it’s time to promote the productivity and profitability advantages of Herefords and communication activities that support adoption of research,” Ms Worth said.

“Lisa has an end-to-end perspective of the beef value chain. It is through understanding what is valued by the various participants and applying this to our programs, that Herefords Australia will be well placed to strengthen engagement with members, commercial producers, and R&D service providers.”

Ms Sharp’s experience in strategy development and supporting stakeholder consultation was also a key consideration for the board. She worked on the last two, five-year strategic plans for MLA, and will lead the development of Herefords Australia strategic plan and annual business plans.

Mrs Worth also thanked outgoing Herefords Australia general manager Andrew Donoghue for his service.

“Under Andrew’s leadership, we saw the successful completion of several important research projects, the launch of Hereford Live, and important changes to the Herefords Australia constitution and governance framework,” she said.

Mr Donoghue has taken up a new position ‘within the meat and livestock industry,’ but he told Beef Central he was unable to disclose details until March. When questioned about the move, he said it would be an Armidale-based role with an “international company looking to consolidate its operations in Australia.”

Keep a look-out for Andrew Donoghue’s new role in an upcoming People on the Move column on Beef Central.

Lisa Sharp starts in her new role with Herefords Australia on February 22.

Originally Published in Beef Central 9th February, image sourced from Beef Central