Jackson gets AWI board nomination recommendation as woolgrowers prepare to vote

The battle for membership of the Australian Wool Innovation board is heating up, with its nomination committee recommending shareholders vote for Kojonup farmer Neil Jackson over his neighbour and WAFarmers vice-president Steve McGuire.

Mr Jackson was one of three candidates to be recommended by the committee after a “nerve-racking” hour-long interview process, although Mr McGuire is still able to be appointed if there’s enough shareholder support.

The other two candidates with the “desired skills” out of the five candidates included South Australian-based Collinsville Stud Merinos director and owner George Millington and Victorian skills-based candidate Emma Weston.

Those that missed out included Mr McGuire and former WoolProducers Australia president and Yass farmer Ed Storey.

The five-person board nomination committee also resolved that open proxies directed to AWI chair Jock Laurie would be voted in favour of these three candidates.

Mr Jackson said as an “a-political candidate” he wanted to do the best for the wool industry as a whole and was “chuffed” with the recommendation.

With 25,000 Merinos producing up to 600 bales of wool a year, Mr Jackson said he had enough “skin in the game” to fight for the industry.

While Mr McGuire was “disappointed” he didn’t get the board’s backing, he said he was still going to campaign strongly for shareholder support.

AWI shareholders will be entitled to vote for any of the five director candidates at the November 17 annual general meeting.

Mr McGuire said he was surprised Mr Storey — who has more than 20 years of community, philanthropic and agribusiness leadership — also missed out on the board’s recommendation.

“For Ed to not be recommended was a real surprise,” he said.

The board nomination committee’s report and a notice of meeting will be sent to AWI shareholders on October 13.

In a statement, the board nomination committee said it was confident the three nominees recommended would bring to the board a high level of skill, commercial pragmatism and insight into the needs of the wool industry.

An AWI spokesman said the committee believed Mr Jackson, Mr Millington and Ms Weston were best suited to ensure that the board had the appropriate and necessary balance of skills required by the company.

“AWI shareholders are not bound by the recommendations of the BNC and will be entitled to vote for any of the five director candidates who are standing for election to the board at the AGM,” he said.

The committee includes independent chair Julie Cox, retiring AWI board members James Morgan and David Webster, the independent Woolgrower Industry Consultation Panel-nominated Michael Field, and the independent member from international executive search firm Heidrick and Struggles, Michael Thomas.