Andy Clarke
Anne lives in Mildura and has been involved in the horticultural industry for over 40 years. She has served as CEO of both Dried Fruits Australia and of the Mildura Development Corporation.
Anne serves as Chair of the Northern Mallee Local Learning and Employment Network (NMLLEN) and is a Board member of the Murray Valley Wine Growers Industry Development Committee and Sunraysia Community Health. She is also on the Advisory Boards for both Mallee Regional Innovation Centre (MRIC) and La Trobe University's Mildura Campus.
Anne Mansell
Shane grew up on a farm in Western Victoria and studied Agricultural Science. He spent the next 30 years working in public service leadership roles.
He has managed functions within the Victorian Dept of Environment and Primary Industries and was a rural journalist and editor with the ABC.
Shane and his wife Heather now own and run a prime lamb farming operation west of Ballarat while also operating a transport business servicing the local community.
Shane Mahony
Stephen was raised on a farm where his passion led him to study agriculture. He has worked in the industry and farming community for many years including roles at AWB before moving to the not-for-profit sector. Stephen is CEO of Australian Dairy Farmers and works as a consultant in the agriculture industry.
Stephen’s formal qualifications include: a degree in Agricultural Economics; Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance & Investment; and Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Stephen Sheridan
John is an experienced Board Director and Executive Manager in Victoria and NSW where he worked in the water and agricultural sectors. Previous Board roles include: Chair of Lower Murray Water and as a Director of the Sunraysia Rural Financial Counselling Service. Recent executive roles include General Manager - Water Supply, with Southern Rural Water; and CEO of the Murray Valley Citrus Board.
John holds a Grad Dip of Business Administration and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He also volunteers for Vision Australia.
John Tesoriero
Di has over 15 years’ experience on a variety of Boards and is currently a Board member of:
Regional Development Australia; Lifeline CV; Mallee/Kerang Hospital; and is Chair of an advisory committee for Murray PHN (Loddon Mallee).
Di is a member and graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She also holds an Advanced Diploma in Agribusiness and a Diploma of Agriculture.
Di and her husband Gary own a dairy farm in Mead, near Cohuna, where they milk 270 cows.
Dianne Bowles
Gayle has worked for various banks and lender institutions for over 40 years. In the early 2000s she moved to Hamilton with her husband and three children where she helped set up a leasing business with an agriculture industry focus. That business was sold to the Bendigo Bank in 2013 when she launched a finance broking business with Ashley Lambert.
Gayle deals with a wide range of people involved in Agriculture and has always had an interest in the Rural sector. She has been a member of Rural Financial Counselling Service WSW since 2015.
Gayle Styles
Growing up on a farm near Horsham, Victoria, Chris has pursued a career in agriculture focusing on helping farmers make informed decisions.
After obtaining a Bachelor of Business from Marcus Oldham Collage Chris worked for Kondinin Group as a research officer based in Wagga Wagga, NSW and later Toowoomba, QLD.
During his time with Kondinin Group, Chris broadened his experience of different farming systems around Australia and gained an insight into various drivers for key business decisions
Chair - Chris Warrick
Andy is an experienced viticulturist within the Australian Wine Sector, having completed roles in management, development, and grower services. He managed an AgTech startup, and has experience in commercialisation, product development, product fit, go-to-market, capital raising and business development.
Andy is a Board member in agriculture, research, financial counselling and biosecurity with a strong network across Australian agriculture. A Nuffield scholarship has cultivated a global perspective.
Anna has worked closely with farming families to gain an understanding of the pressures they face. She recognises the link between financial hardship and emotional wellbeing and her empathetic and non-judgmental approach ensures clients feel supported as they work on improving their financial position.
Anna has a Bachelor of Management (Labour Relations), Diploma of Financial Counselling and is currently studying her Diploma of Counselling.
Shane has worked in the finance industry for over 38 years across the country where his diverse experience has given him a strong understanding of the issues affecting regional communities.
His grasp of local conditions, economic cycles and other factors allows Shane to relate to the problems at hand for primary producers and small business owners in the region. With this knowledge he helps clients access support tools and identify resources to achieve their goals.
Originally from a mixed farming property in north west NSW, Stephanie has a background in small business and over twenty years’ experience in rural financial counselling. Stephanie has worked predominantly with irrigated horticulture and dry-land broad-acre farmers. Financial analysis is a key interest, and she has developed a strong network of farming and industry stakeholders.
Quals: BAgrEc from University of New England. Diploma of Community Service (Financial Counselling)
Born and raised in Victoria's South West, Sarah has a passion for supporting her Community - especially dairy farmers and primary producers throughout the region. She has over 30 years experience in the Financial Services industry (largely as a financial planner) with a strong focus on succession planning. Relationship building in the farming community and with other providers is a key attribute in her work.
Quals: Diploma of Financial Counselling & Advanced Diploma of Financial Planning
David has lived in regional Victoria all of his life. A strong supporter of building community capacity, he has extensive regional management experience in small business, education and finance.
Areas of strength lie in building relationships, coaching, finance and risk strategy development. A volunteer at many community organisations, David understands and is committed to supporting his community. David is a CPA, BCom, a member of AICD and also holds a Diploma of Adult Education.