Bruce Rock farmer Kevin Fuchsbichler steps down as CBH director after Candidate Assessment Panel review

Bruce Rock farmer Kevin Fuchsbichler has pulled out of the CBH board elections just days before a document explaining whether the seven board candidates have the “desired skills and attributes” was due to be mailed to the co-operative’s members. Mr Fuchsbichler said he would retire after CBH’s annual general meeting on February 18, marking the end of his seventh term on the board and leaving shoes to fill on CBH’s Workplace Health and Safety Committee and its Remuneration and Nomination Committee. The long-standing CBH director’s retirement announcement leaves three other District 3 candidates — Barry West (Kulin), Dee Ridgeway (Beverley) and Tamara Alexander (nee Stretch) (Narrogin) — tussling for his vacant spot. Mr Fuchsbichler joined the board in 2007 and is the longest-serving director currently on the board, with 15 years experience. He promised to continue to have an active interest in CBH and WA’s agricultural sector. “I would like to thank growers for their support over many years. I have very much enjoyed serving growers during the past 15 years on the CBH board and have always sought to represent their needs during that time,” Mr Fuchsbichler said. “I am looking forward to spending more time with my family and other interests.” Mr Fuchsbichler was one of seven CBH board candidates who took part in CBH’s inaugural Candidate Assessment Panel last month. The three-person panel — made up of CBH chair Simon Stead and Perth business leaders Terry Agnew and Suzanne Ardagh — was tasked with determining whether candidates have the “desired skills and attributes” for the CBH board. The process kicked off with formal interviews designed to explore candidates’ skills, attributes and experience before a confidential feedback session with each individual to provide them with an “overall rating” and “qualitative comments” on certain criteria. A CBH spokeswoman told Countryman the CAP would not provide a recommendation to growers nor tell them who to vote for. Instead, it would provide three ratings — demonstrated, potential and not demonstrated — to growers to give feedback on how candidates would “fit with the role of a CBH director”. Candidate profiles and their CAP report are expected to be mailed to growers early in January. The panel was compulsory for incumbent directors and “strongly encouraged” for new candidates. Both new and incumbent candidates were able to withdraw before their results were made public. Candidates who have chosen not to go through the panel process will be announced on January 4, when nominations close. Mr Fuchsbichler told Countryman last month he had made an “11th hour nomination” ahead of the November 4 closing date and would stand for a seventh time after considering stepping down to spend more time with his family. He said he had made “a lot of calls” the day before nominations for incumbents closed, to suss out whether farmers still wanted him to represent them as a director for another three-year term. He said he woke the next day to find 12 grower members — seven more than the five required — had nominated him for a District 3 grower director position. Mr Stead thanked Mr Fuchsbichler for his contribution to the co-operative and his service to the growers of WA. “Kevin has worked tirelessly for the co-operative and growers during his tenure, being a strong advocate for WA growers and always striving to advance their interests,” Mr Stead said. “On behalf of the board, I would like to recognise the commitment required to dedicate 15 years away from your farming business and family, and I sincerely thank Kevin for his dedicated contribution to CBH and we wish him every success in his future endeavours.” Growers will take to the polls to vote in January to vote for three director seats on the CBH board, with incumbents Jeff Seaby, Helen Woodhams and Kevin Fuchsbichler all standing again. The three-year positions up for contention are in District 2 (Mr Seaby), District 4 (Ms Woodhams) and District 3 (Mr Fuchsbichler). Mr Fuchsbichler and Mr Seaby were two of a select few on the CBH board to not have graduated from the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ company directors course, which will now be mandatory for directors to complete in their first term. If re-elected, Mr Seaby would have to complete the AICD course by January 2025. The CBH board is composed of nine grower member directors and three independent directors. Two grower directors are elected from districts one, two, three, and four, while one director is elected by members within District Five.