Board Profiles

 AWB Limited            

 AWB (International)

Brendan Stewart
Chairman

Gordon Davis 
Managing Director

Steve Chamarette
Director

Tony Howarth
Director

John Schmoll
Director

Brendan Fitzgerald
Director

Peter Polson
Director

Fred Grimwade
Director

Peter Patterson
Company Secretary

Elected on 3 February 2000, re-elected on 13 March 2003 and 23 February 2006. Mr Stewart was elected by the directors as Chairman on 14 March 2002 and re-elected Chairman on 13 March 2003. Mr Stewart is also a non-executive director of AWB (International) Limited. Mr Stewart operates a 3,200 hectare property that produces grain, cotton and cattle at Chinchilla, Queensland. He is a former President of Queensland Grain growers Association and Grains Council of Australia and was Chair of the Joint Ministerial Working Group on the Australian Wheat Board Restructure and Vice President of National Farmers Federation (NFF). Mr Stewart is a former Chairman of the NFF Economics and Trade Committee, Wideland Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd and Council for Australian Arab Relations.

Elected on 11 March 2004 and re-elected on 22 February 2007. Mr Chamarette is a grain grower from Trayning, Western Australia and a former WA Farmers Grains Council delegate. Mr Chamarette has completed the Graduate Member and Advanced Diploma courses at the Australian Institute of Company Directors and is a Fellow of the Institute.

Appointed on 11 September 2006. Prior to joining AWB Limited, Mr Davis held positions with Orica Mining Services in the Australia Asia region, was General Manger of Incitec Fertilizers, and held roles at ICI Australia and then Orica in public affairs and chemicals businesses. Additionally, Mr Davis was Science and Environment advisor to the federal Leader of the Opposition from 1990 to 1993 and worked for the Tasmanian Forestry Commission as a research and field forester. Mr Davis has completed an MBA from Melbourne University, Master of Agricultural Science, Bachelor of Forest Science and attended the Advanced Management program at Harvard Business School in 2003. 

Elected on 13 March 2003. Mr Fitzgerald is a grain grower from Kimba in SA. He has operated, in partnership with his family, a farming and contract harvesting business since 1975. Mr Fitzgerald was previously a director of SACBH and was also Deputy Chairman of Ausbulk. As a director Mr Fitzgerald was involved in finance and audit, nomination, remuneration and listing committees and has chaired a strategic infrastructure committee. Mr Fitzgerald has studied export grain marketing and storage in North America, South Africa and England and holds an Advanced Diploma from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Appointed on 31 March 2003 as an Additional Director and elected on 10 March 2005 as a B Class Director. Mr Polson is also a non-executive director of AWB (International) Limited. Mr Polson has broad experience in the financial services industry, first as Managing Director of the international funds management business with the Colonial Group, then as an executive with the Commonwealth Banking Group with responsibility for all investment and insurance services for the Group, including the CBA Group’s funds management, master funds, superannuation and insurance businesses and third party support services for brokers, agents and financial advisers. In 2003, Mr Polson commenced his career as a non-executive director. Mr Polson is Chairman of Challenger Financial Services Group Limited, Challenger Life No. 2 Limited and IDP Education Pty Ltd and a director of Avant Insurance Limited, Bennelong Group Holdings Pty Limited, Bennelong Foundation and Escor Pty Limited.

Appointed on 10 March 2005. Mr Howarth spent over 35 years in the banking and finance industry. Uniquely, Mr Howarth held executive positions in government, regional and major banks as well as in building societies and stockbroking and has had international experience in London, Hamburg and New York. Mr Howarth is Chairman of Mermaid Marine Australia Ltd, Deputy Chairman of Bank of Queensland Limited and a director of Wesfarmers Limited.  He is a former Chairman of Alinta Limited (retired July 2006) and Home Building Society Limited (up until its merger with Bank of Queensland in December 2007). In addition Mr Howarth is involved in a number of community organisations including St John of God Health Care Group, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the University of Western Australia.

Appointed on 10 March 2005. Mr Schmoll built a successful 32 year executive management career primarily in South Africa and Australia in finance, investor relations, information technology, governance and large scale process activities in major corporations. Mr Schmoll spent seven years as the Chief Financial Officer of Coles Myer Limited and prior to this held senior corporate and professional roles in Australia and South Africa which exposed him to a broad spectrum of commercial, financial services, retail distribution, and public service activities. In addition to the above Boards Mr Schmoll was also a director of Golden Circle Limited from April 2005 to 29 November 2007.

Member of the Board since February 2008. Mr Grimwade is an Executive Director of Fawkner Capital, a corporate advisory and investment firm. He has a broad range of experience in strategic management, agribusiness, finance, corporate governance and law. Mr Grimwade was Managing Director of the Colonial Agricultural Company from 1998 to 2006 and previously held senior executive roles with Colonial and WMC. He also worked with US investment bank Goldman, Sachs & Co. in New York and as a lawyer. Mr Grimwade is Chairman of CPT Global Limited and a former Joint National President of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (Finsia).

Joined AWB in November 2006. Mr Patterson is responsible for compliance, corporate governance and board relations for AWB Limited. Mr Patterson has over 12 years experience in ASX listed companies. Prior to joining AWB he was the Deputy Company Secretary at Coles Myer Limited and before that he was the General Counsel and Company Secretary of Bonlac Foods Limited. Mr Patterson has a Master of Laws degree and is a member of Chartered Secretaries of Australia.

Ian Donges
Chairman

Peter Polson
Director

Brendan Stewart
Director

Wayne Gibson
Director

Logan Armstrong
Company Secretary

James Rackham
Director

Brendan Fitzgerald
Director

Elected as a non-executive director on 15 March 2001 and re-elected on 11 March 2004. Mr Donges was elected as Chairman on 23 February 2006. Mr Donges is a grain grower from central New South Wales. He has operated, in partnership with his wife, a farming business since 1975. Mr Donges has extensive representative involvement in farm organisations including at a local level through NSW Farmers and the NSW Agricultural Bureau. At a state level Mr Donges has been involved with NSW Farmers, serving that organisation in a number of capacities including President for three years and Chairman of the Grains Committee. Mr Donges represented NSW on the Grains Council of Australia and is immediate past president of the National Farmers’ Federation. Mr Donges is Chairman of the Grain and Graze Program, an initiative of three research and development corporations. Mr Donges is Chair of the Advisory Committee Sheep Genetics of Australia.

Elected by the directors as Chairman of AWB (International) Limited on 14 March 2002 and re-elected Chairman on 13 March 2003. Mr Stewart resigned as Chairman on 23 February 2006 and is a non-executive director of AWB (International) Limited. Mr Stewart operates a 3,200 hectare property that produces grain, cotton and cattle at Chinchilla, Queensland. He is a former President of Queensland Grain growers Association and Grains Council of Australia and was Chair of the Joint Ministerial Working Group on the Australian Wheat Board Restructure and Vice President of National Farmers Federation (NFF). Mr Stewart is a former Chairman of the NFF Economics and Trade Committee, of Wideland Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd and the Council for Australian Arab Relations. 

Appointed on 31 March 2003 as an Additional Director and elected on 10 March 2005 as a B Class Director. Mr Polson is also a non-executive director of AWB (International) Limited. Mr Polson has broad experience in the financial services industry, first as Managing Director of the international funds management business with the Colonial Group, then as an executive with the Commonwealth Banking Group with responsibility for all investment and insurance services for the Group, including the CBA Group’s funds management, master funds, superannuation and insurance businesses and third party support services for brokers, agents and financial advisers. In 2003, Mr Polson commenced his career as a non-executive director. Mr Polson is Chairman of Challenger Financial Services Group Limited, Challenger Life No. 2 Limited and IDP Education Pty Ltd and a director of Avant Insurance Limited, Bennelong Group Holdings Pty Limited, Bennelong Foundation and Escor Pty Limited.

Elected on 3 February 2000, re-elected on 13 March 2003 and 23 February 2006. Mr Gibson is a grain grower from Kondinin, Western Australia and a former executive committee member of the Kondinin Group and former WA Farmers Federation Zone President and Grains Council delegate. Mr Gibson is a Councillor of the Kondinin Shire Council and a member of the Corporate Directors’ Association of Australia.

Joined AWB in April 2006. Mr Armstrong is responsible for compliance, corporate governance and board relations for AWB (International) Limited. Mr Armstrong has spent over 30 years in the legal profession. Before joining AWB he practised in his own firm and recent work has included advising in relation to reorganisations, stock exchange listings, prospectuses and takeovers. He was a partner of the leading law firm, Blake Dawson Waldron, from 1981 to 2005 advising on mergers, acquisitions and divestments and other major corporate transactions for clients across a range of industries. His roles included founding partner of the Brisbane office, Managing Partner and client relationship partner for major international companies.

Elected 12 February 2008. Mr Rackham was a full time grain producer in Redhill South Australia from 1978 to 2002. In 2002 Mr Rackham was elected to the SAFF Grains Council and became the deputy Chairman and Treasurer but resigned on the 8th February 2008. In 2007 Mr Rackham was elected as a director of the Grains Council of Australia and resigned in February 2008. Mr Rackham is also a member of the following organisations, Australian Shareholders Association, the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Wilderness School Foundation Board and is a former chairman of the South Australian Barley Single Desk Transparency Committee.