Our Team
Meet the Committee
Peter McGilchrist
President
Peter grew up on a cattle property in NSW and has a Bachelor of Rural science from the University of New England (UNE). Peter was a member of the UNE meat judging team in 2002 and was selected on the 2003 Australian ICMJ team that competed in the USA. Peter coached the UNE meat judging team to success in 2003 and 2004. Following university Peter travelled and also worked at Elders Killara feedlot for a year before moving to Perth WA to complete a PhD at Murdoch University on ‘Selection for muscling affects carbohydrate and fatty acid metabolism in beef cattle’ with the Beef CRC. Peter then held a post doctorate research position at Murdoch University with Meat and Livestock Australia working on beef eating quality projects, MSA optimisation and the development of the MSA Index. Following this, he held the position of lecturer in Animal Production Science at Murdoch University and undertook research into factors along the supply chain which impact the eating quality of beef and lamb plus the measurement of carcass yield. In 2017, Peter joined the University of New England. Peter is passionate about the future of the red meat industry for the next generation.
Kiri Broad
Vice President
Originally from the south coast of NSW, Kiri completed a degree in Animal and Veterinary Bioscience at the University of Sydney in 2008 where she developed a particular interest in the extensive livestock industry. Since graduating Kiri has held roles as a livestock extension officer with the Qld Dept. of Agriculture and Fisheries, in livestock strategic operations with Teys Australia and 4 years with Woolworths as a project manager, implementing data systems in the meat business and managing the Traceability program for the protein supply chain. Earlier in 2023, Kiri joined the NSW Dept. Primary Industries, as a project manager for the implementation of eID in sheep and goats. Feeling fortunate to have been able to work and gain insights across a wide range of the livestock and meat sectors, Kiri is keen to see more young people join the red meat industry and experience the wide range of careers and development opportunities available.
Gabi Ryan
Secretary
Gabi grew up on a mixed farming property in Central West NSW. She completed a Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience in 2016, during which she competed for the University of Sydney. Following this Gab travelled to the states with the national team in 2017. Upon returning she commenced an Agribusiness Cadetship at Fletcher International Exports before moving into her current role as innovation and project coordinator.
Stuart Bisley
Treasurer
Stuart grew up on a cattle property in South East Queensland and completed a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Queensland in 2013. After finishing his degree, he spent several years working on cattle stations across the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Stuart then relocated to Dalby, QLD where he pursued a management role in a lotfeeding and mixed cropping operation. In 2019, Stuart joined Teys Australia as a Commercial Analyst before moving into his current role as part of the Operations team based at Beenleigh. Recently, Stuart completed his CPA and is passionate about engaging and inspiring the future workforce of the red meat industry.
Nick Vandenberg
Schools Program Liaison
Despite not growing up with a farming background, Nick quickly developed a love for all things agriculture. This lead him to complete his Bachelor of Ag. Science at Adelaide University in 2013. It was during his studies he discovered meat judging and was fortunate to be a part of the 2014 ICMJ national team. Nick has since coached 2014-16 Adelaide meat judging teams and completed his honours on ” Understanding the causes of dark cutting on pasture raised beef in south east south Australia”. Nick has been fortunate to see a large cross section of industry, working from abattoirs and live export depots to full time shearing. He is very passionate about the Australian goat industry and is currently running his own livestock enterprise whilst freelancing within meat research and live export fields.
Sarah Stewart
Sponsorship Liaison
Sarah grew up in Adelaide, before relocating to Western Australia to study Veterinary Science at Murdoch University. Here she developed a passion for the red meat industry as a member of Murdoch meat judging team, competing in the 2008 ICMJ competition. Following graduation, Sarah worked as a cattle Veterinarian in south west Victoria, before returning to Murdoch University in 2012 to begin a PhD investigating the “influence of pre-slaughter stress on lamb meat quality and carcass yield”. Since then, Sarah has coached the Murdoch meat judging team and most recently has signed on as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Meat Science. Sarah is passionate about increasing the capacity of the red meat industry by engaging and educating students from veterinary and agricultural sciences.
Melanie Smith
Presenter Coordinator
Melanie grew up on the South Coast of NSW and completed a Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience at the University of Sydney in 2012. Melanie has always had a passion for the livestock industry and it was during the final year of her studies that she participated in the 2012 ICMJ competition and developed a keen interest in the red meat industry. Melanie has coached and assisted The University of Sydney ICMJ team since 2014 whilst she was conducting her PhD which investigated factors impacting alpaca meat quality from the farm through to the fork. Melanie is currently a Research Associate at the University of Sydney in the area of animal production and meat science. Melanie enjoys working at the interface between research and the meat supply chain and is passionate about engaging and educating the next generation about the red meat industry. Melanie is actively involved in the ICMJ junior contests.
Molly Greentree
Australian Team Coach
Molly completed a Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience (AVBS), with First Class Honours in Animal Reproduction, at the University of Sydney in 2018. During her final year, Molly joined the Sydney University ICMJ team which led to the commencement of a two-year graduate program with Teys Australia, based in Wagga Wagga, NSW, specifically focusing on Operations, Quality Assurance & Quality Control. Following completion of the graduate program in early 2021, Molly commenced a role as the QA Manager based in Wagga Wagga before relocating to Brisbane in the role of Value-Add Supply Chain Co-ordinator and Production Scheduling and from there into her current role as Commercial Analyst. Molly is particularly passionate about seeing young people engage with and ultimately become involved in the agricultural industry.
Macky Lawrence
Australian Team Coach
Macky grew up on a beef cattle property on the mid north coast and has always had a strong passion for Australian agriculture. He studied at Charles Sturt University graduating with a Bachelor of Agricultural Science in 2018. He competed at Wagga in 2016 and was fortunate enough to be part of the 2017 Australian national team. Following university, Macky spent 3 years with NH Foods in the feedlot industry in Queensland as a livestock and supply chain co-ordinator. He has recently moved back to the mid north coast to take his knowledge and skills from the ICMJ experience to inject into his family beef operation.
Claire Marriott
Careers Expo Coordinator
Claire grew up on a beef and sheep property in north east Victoria. She studied a Bachelor of Rural Science at the University of New England (UNE) and completed her Honours in Meat Science during her final year. Claire was a member of the UNE meat judging team in 2019, and was fortunate to be selected on the Australian national ICMJ team in 2020. Following university, Claire was an AACo graduate before commencing her current role as Supply Chain Officer at Gundagai Lamb.
Jake Bourlet
Venue and Workshop Coordinator
Jake grew up on a mixed farming enterprise in the Riverina. Jake’s passion for agriculture was developed whilst working for his family’s livestock contracting business at Teys Jindalee Feedlot and Wagga Saleyards. Jake studied a Bachelor of Agricultural Business Management at Charles Sturt University (CSU) and completed an Honours project to investigate the optimum time on feed to recondition cull beef cows. He competed in ICMJ in 2017 and was fortunate enough to be a part of the 2018 Australian national team, going on to coach the CSU ICMJ team in 2018 and 2019. Following university, Jake headed north as an AACo graduate before returning south to a role at Gundagai Lamb (GL) as Supply Chain Coordinator – this involves coordinating the buy, make and sell steps for trade activities associated with GL.
Chloe Gould
Northern Competition Coordinator
In 2016 Chloe completed her degree in Agricultural Science, during which she competed for the University of Queensland at ICMJ and was selected to join the Australian National team which competed in the US in 2017. Chloe possesses a wealth of experience in the red meat industry, having commenced her career as a graduate and subsequently advanced through several positions, including research and development, innovation, and MSA business development. She joined Greenham in 2022 and is presently spearheading the implementation of new technologies and systems as part of the team tasked with bringing the Tongala redevelopment project to fruition. Chloe is enthusiastic about the growth potential that the new processing facility presents for the company. Hailing from rural Queensland and having grown up in close proximity to beef cattle, Chloe is deeply committed to advocating for the diverse range of opportunities available in the red meat industry and contributing to efforts to attract and retain talent in this sector.
Maria Thompson
ICMJ Coordinator
Maria has always had a strong appreciation for agriculture and rural life having grown up on her family’s beef cattle property in Tenterfield, NSW. Maria graduated with a Bachelor of Rural Science and a Master in Agriculture from UNE. In 2002, Maria was a member of the UNE Meat Judging Team. Since 2011, Maria has operated AgSTAR Projects, a project management consultancy firm. Previous roles include managing the animal health, welfare and biosecurity portfolio for Sheepmeat Council of Australia, working as a consultant for a private agricultural PR & marketing company and being employed as a BREEDPLAN Consultant. Maria and her husband own a beef cattle enterprise in Coonabarabran, NSW and are currently living Katherine, NT.