Board
The ABL Foundation Board plays a critical role providing strategic direction, sound governance, and stewardship of the Advancing Beef Leaders Program to ensure it continues to deliver meaningful outcomes for participants, industry, and regional communities. Directors contribute their skills, experience, and judgement to support the long-term success and integrity of the Program.
Don is a fifth generation North Queensland primary producer with cattle properties and sugar cane farms in the lower Burdekin River region. He is a passionate and committed advocate for the promotion of Australian agribusiness interests, domestically and overseas. He has more than 30 years experience promoting and representing the Australian red meat industry, domestically and internationally through a variety of positions, including 13 years as a Director of Meat & Livestock Australia, including 6 years as Chairman of the Board. He has also served on the Cattle Council of Australia and numerous State livestock R&D bodies.
Don retired in June 2020 after 6 years as Chairman of the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. He strongly supports the strengthening of domestic agribusiness in developing countries and champions younger persons entering leadership positions in rural communities.
Don Heatley, Chair
Emma grew up in Western Queensland and went on to study a Bachelor of Livestock Science. She has worked in various roles from on-farm nutrition to beef processing, to gain an in-depth knowledge right along the supply chain. Through this experience Emma identified a gap in the lack of use and transparency of data which led her to co-found, Black Box Co Software.
In her role as COO, Emma and her team work directly with industry to guide producers through how to seamlessly collect the information they need to make informed management and genetic decisions. Emma has been involved with ABL since the beginning as a mentor, delivering the Tech Foundations Module.
Emma Black, Director
DipPsych, DipBus, DipTrainAssessSys, MAHRI
Lara’s keen interest in producing functional adapted brahmans, focusing on key commercial traits directly correlated to profitability in the beef business, sprang from early exposure to mentors and leaders in reproduction, endocrinology and genetics.
She is an experienced Human Resources professional, having held senior management positions with several global mining and corporate agriculture companies. She has has expertise in executive leadership coaching and developing cultural transformation frameworks, focused on people-centred alignment strategies to meet production goals and cost efficiencies. Lara has held various community group committee positions and currently sits on the AgForce Council for North Queensland.
Lara Conaghan, Director
MEc(AgResEc), BEd(Sec), Dip.FinCouns(Rural), TAE
Natalie is a fifth-generation Far North Queensland grazier and ardent advocate for rural Australia. She currently works as RAPAD’s Program Manager, delivering the Commonwealth and State-funded Farm Business Resilience Program.
She has contributed to national disaster recovery and drought policies, and in 2022 was awarded a High Commendation for the QLD Agricultural Minister's Emerging Leader Award. Natalie is the former Deputy Chair of Southern Gulf NRM (2021-2024), a current director for NQ Dry Tropics, and is a proud MLA Red Meat Ambassador and ARLF Drought Mentor. Prior to becoming a Rural Financial Counsellor, Natalie spent a decade teaching secondary students.
She holds a Master of Economics (Agriculture and Resources), receiving the D H Drummond Thesis Prize in Post-Graduate Economics, a Bachelor of Education (Secondary), Cert IV in Training and Assessment, and a Diploma of Financial Counselling (Rural).
Natalie Hughes, Director
Nigel is a strong supporter of the beef industry and developing its people. He is known for an extensive R&D background over 20 years with CSIRO in Rockhampton and Townsville and more recently as senior research scientist – methane at ROAM Agricultural Pty Ltd. Previously he was the program manager for the MLA Grass fed beef program a portfolio of producer levy and Commonwealth Government funded activities across northern and southern Australia delivering applied R&D outcomes for extensive grazing systems. He was instrumental in developing the Northern Breeding Business (NB2) network and crafting the program behind several Northern Beef Research Update Conferences (NBRUC). Dr Tomkins is a graduate of the Queensland DPI Building Rural Leaders program, supports The Leucaena Network as a non-executive committee member, completed an MBA in 2022 and is an adjunct professor with the Institute for Future Farming Systems Central Queensland University, Rockhampton.
Dr Nigel Tomkins, Director
John is a second-generation grazier on the Maranoa River in Southwest Queensland, managing his family’s properties with his husband. Bringing experience from outside the beef industry, he offers a strong business focus and fresh perspective. An Advancing Beef Leaders Program alumni, John is a strong advocate for education and ongoing development within the industry. In addition to his grazing operations, he co-owns and runs a catering business that services local events and community functions.
John Syme, Director
Shannon and her partner manage a large scale breeder property in Queensland’s Gulf.
Throughout her career, she has worked for both large corporate companies and smaller private families, giving her a diverse understanding of Northern beef production. As a mother of three, she has a strong family/work focus and enjoys having the freedom to have her children involved in the running of the station. With a strong passion for bridging the disconnect between the agricultural industry and consumers, Shannon aims to get more involved in sharing the stories of our industry and the passion that lies within providing food and fibre. She also has a keen desire to engage with schools to help promote the agricultural industry to our next generation, showcasing the opportunities the industry has to offer those looking to join the workforce.
Shannon is actively involved in campdraft, races, and rodeo committees, ensuring the local events keep the communities thriving. She has also been heavily involved in school, ICPA, and CWA boards as she knows the future of our industry relies on the involvement of the next generation.