About Us
Steering Committee
Julie Bird
Julie Bird is Chair of Hort Innovation, a position she has held since 2009. Previously, Julie held the positions of non-Executive Director and Deputy Chair of Plant Health Australia, CEO of the Almond Board of Australia, and non-Executive Director of United Almonds Limited and the Australian Nut Industry Council. She has served as Independent Chair of the Apple and Pear Industry Advisory Committee and the South Australian Apiary Industry Advisory Group.
Julie has an in-depth understanding of the importance of pollination strategies in the horticulture sector and has helped raise awareness of the significant role honey bees play in the food production chain. Julie has been actively involved in efforts to form Pollination Security Cooperative Research Centres twice in the past 20 years, and in 2023, Julie was on the interview panel for the Wheen Bee Foundation’s bid.
Fiona Chambers
Fiona Chambers is the CEO of the Wheen Bee Foundation. Under Fiona’s leadership, the Wheen Bee Foundation has become Australia’s leading charity dedicated to addressing national and global threats to bees. As of 2024, the Foundation leads more than 20 programs that promote awareness of the importance of bees and other pollinators and raise funds for vital research. In 2023, Fiona was instrumental in the Pollination Security Cooperative Research Centre bid, where she oversaw the project through to the final stageof grant funding, bringing together 51 organisations in an unprecedented display of collective support for a national pollination strategy.
Previously, Fiona lectured in Business Management and Marketing at Marcus Oldham College and convened the Marcus Oldham Rural Leadership Program and the Apple and Pear Australia Ltd Emerging Leaders Program.
Sarah Corcoran
Appointed as the CEO of Plant Health Australia in 2020, seasoned biosecurity professional Sarah Corcoran holds extensive experience in research, industry and government, including the Australian Government, and Queensland and Northern Territory governments. Sarah has been instrumental in overseeing biosecurity research and investment in infrastructure across various sectors, encompassing disease detection, management, response and recovery. Her collaborative efforts are aimed at engaging and bringing together diverse expertise, knowledge and stakeholders to generate effective solutions that enhance biosecurity outcomes and safeguard the environment and agricultural industries from biosecurity threats. In 2023, she served on the interview panel for the Wheen Bee Foundation’s Pollination Security Cooperative Research Centre bid.
Professor Saul Cunningham
Professor Saul Cunningham has been Director of the Fenner School of Environment and Society at Australian National University since 2017. Saul is a prominent academic in the field of crop pollination in Australia, with more than 30 years of research experience. He has worked with industry to improve pollination outcomes from managed honey bees and from wild pollinators. Saul has played a role in helping growers and beekeepers prepare for the arrival of Varroa destructor. In 2015, his work was recognised with the Australian Ecology Research Award. Saul was the Chief Scientist in the Wheen Bee Foundation’s recent Pollination Security Cooperative Research Centre bid.
Steve Fuller
Steve Fuller has worked in the honey bee industry for over 40 years in both large and small beekeeping operations across honey production and pollination. He now owns Bee Audits, mentoring and advising bee businesses on operating in light of the Varroa mite incursion.
Steve is involved in the Agrifutures Honey Bee & Pollination Advisory Panel and the NSW Farmers Federation, where he chairs the Northern Rivers Branch. He is also a regional advisory committee member for National Parks and Wildlife.
Previously, Steve was a participant in the 5Bees program and served as President of both the NSW Apiarist Association North Coast Branch and the Crop Pollination Association of Australia.
Jodie Goldsworthy
Jodie Goldsworthy is a fourth-generation apiarist and Co-Founder and Director of Beechworth Honey Group. Jodie is the outgoing President of the Oceania Regional Commission of Apimondia, an international organisation that represents beekeepers worldwide and protects honey bees. She is currently a Director of the Wheen Bee Foundation.
In 2021 Jodie finished a six-year term on the Board of Directors of the Australian Food & Grocery Council advocating for a more sustainable Australian food industry. Other former board roles include the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council, Tourism North East, President of the Honey Packers & Marketers Association of Australia, a member of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Regional Women’s Advisory Council, and the Australian Government’s Food Processing Industry Strategy Group.
Danny Le Feuvre
Danny Le Feuvre is CEO of the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council, the national peak body for beekeepers. Danny has been a commercial beekeeper for 15 years, providing pollination services in South Australia and is the Founding Director of Australian Bee Services.
He is currently a Director of AgriFutures Australia and a member of the Hort Innovation Expert Advisory Panel. Danny has a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Melbourne, a Masters in Agribusiness from the University of Adelaide and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Ian McConnel
Ian McConnel is Bush Heritage Australia’s newly appointed Executive Manager for Agriculture and Natural Capital. In this role he leads the organisation’s engagement with agricultural enterprises and industries and the organisation’s involvement in natural capital markets.
Previously, Ian spent a decade as World Wildlife Fund’s Global Lead for Livestock supporting sustainable development in the beef industry across 22 countries. He later joined Tyson Foods as its International Director of Sustainability. Ian held a seat on the executive committee of the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and spent two years as president.
Suzanne Thompson
Suzanne Thompson is the Director of the Indigenous Carbon Industry Network and the Founder and Managing Director of Yambangku Aboriginal Cultural Heritage & Tourism Development Aboriginal Corporation.
Suzanne is a proud Iningai Aboriginal woman and leads a pilot Land Restoration Fund HIR carbon project ‘Murra Yambangku’, which incorporates sustainable management practices for research and monetisation of ecosystem services.
In 2023, Suzanne was appointed as the First Nations member of the Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee, a statutory body responsible for ensuring the integrity of Australia’s carbon crediting scheme. Suzanne’s other roles include Member of Landcare Australia’s Indigenous Landcare Working Group, Chair of Australian Native Foods and Botanicals, and Indigenous Engagement Director for the Nature Positive Cooperative Research Centre.
Rob Wheatley
Rob Wheatley is General Manager at Euroley Almonds. Rob is well known in the horticultural sector having held senior operations and general management roles with Costa Group and Olam International, as well as investment firms including AustOn Corporation and ROC Partners. He is a highly experienced agribusiness manager with a demonstrated history of working in the horticultural industries within New Zealand and Australia.
Rob has a long interest in pollination, developed through this his roles as Director of the Almond Board of Australia and Chair of its Pollination Committee. Rob has served on several industry boards including Avocados Australia, Australian Table Grape Growers Association, Australian Melon Association among others. He is currently a Director of the Wheen Bee Foundation and New Zealand FrostBoss and the Chair of FrostBoss Australia.
If you’re interested in contributing to the Australian Pollination Strategy, please complete an Expression of Interest form.
The Australian Pollination Strategy Consultation
Your input will inform the development of a national Strategy.