June 5, 2017
Agriculture Minister Bill Byrne has named the replacements to fill vacancies on the Board of the Queensland Rural Adjustment Authority (QRAA).
The two new faces are former SunWater chairperson Leith Boully and Ernst & Young director Zoe Kenneally.
“They have strong agricultural backgrounds and bring a wealth of financial, business, governance and risk management skills to the QRAA board,” Minister Byrne said.
“Ms Boully has served on many boards across the water and natural resource management, agricultural and education sectors.
“She is also a director of the Isis Central Sugar Mill and an adjunct professor with the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland.”
Mr Byrne said Ms Kenneally is the chief financial officer with international agribusiness investment firm Laguna Bay Pastoral Company, and worked for 13 years as an agribusiness director with consultancy group Ernst & Young where she oversaw a range of technical accounting and assurance roles for major clients.
“She is a chartered accountant with extensive experience working with agricultural industries, primarily in beef, and in dealing with pastoral property valuations and audit committees,” he said.
Ms Boully and Ms Kenneally replace outgoing Board members Georgie Somerset and Christopher Hood, who were thanked by chairman Wayne Carlson for their valued contribution to the QRAA Board during their terms.
QRAA is a State Government statutory authority and specialist administrator of government financial assistance programs including loans, grants, rebates and subsidies – with a specific focus on the development of rural and regional Queensland.
Minister Byrne said in the last few weeks QRAA had approved more than $3.5 million in loans and grants to hundreds of primary producers, small business and not for profit organisations impacted by Severe Tropical Cyclone Debbie.
In 2016-17 to date, QRAA had delivered more than $244 million in financial assistance supporting 3300 Queenslanders across primary industry, small business and non-profit sectors.
Ms Kenneally and Ms Boully join chairman Wayne Carlson, Dugald Warby, Belinda Turner, Elton Miller and Warwick Agnew on the QRAA Board.
