From Muresk to Muchea: WA Meat Marketing Authority appoints Steve Wainewright as chief executive officer

Former Muresk Institute farm manager Steve Wainewright has been appointed the new chief executive of WA Meat Industry Authority, after nearly five months serving in an acting capacity. The WAMIA board made the announcement on Tuesday morning, with WAMIA chair Sally O’Brien saying she was confident he would lead the organisation with a “high level of personal commitment, professionalism and integrity”. Mr Wainewright stepped into the acting CEO role at WAMIA in November, when previous boss Tim Collins quit just seven months into the role after replacing long-standing boss Greg Lott in April last year. Mr Lott served 2½ years with WAMIA but resigned to take a post with AAA Egg Company. Mr Wainewright was seconded from his role as the farm manager at Muresk Institute, where he had been employed by the Department of Training and Workforce Development to run the Spencer’s Brook property since 2017. Ms O’Brien said Mr Wainewright had an excellent understanding of commercial livestock production systems, along with experience in stakeholder engagement and management in a government environment setting. A passionate member of WA’s agriculture industry, Mr Wainewright grew up in Victoria where his family operates a livestock transport business, which provided him with an extensive insight into saleyard working environments from his early childhood years. Mr Wainewright graduated with an Animal Science degree from Melbourne University in 2005, before working for a feed company in technical development. He relocated to Queensland in 2008, where he completed a research Masters in Tropical Animal Science at James Cook University in 2010. He moved to WA with his wife that same year. From 2012-2017, Mr Wainewright was the manager at the University of WA’s Ridgefield farm in Pingelly, before starting his role at Muresk Institute. Mr Wainewright will start on May 1.