Genetics Australia will strengthen its connections with the beef industry and benefit from one of the country’s genetics industry leaders with the appointment of Lucinda Corrigan to its Board.

Mrs Corrigan, who runs a leading Angus genetics business, ‘Rennylea’, with her husband Bryan, brings significant experience both on and off-farm to the Board.

She replaces Rohan Sprunt who served on the Board for six years.

Mrs Corrigan says she is excited to fill the casual vacancy and that Genetics Australia (GA) is well placed to compete on a global scale.

“From a strategic sense, we’re seeing an increase globally in the competitive environment so this is a really important time for Australian companies to position themselves so they’re not over-run by the global companies,” Mrs Corrigan said.

“GA is a key player and has a long and proud history, especially in dairy and an increasing influence in beef. Now is the time to get the strategy right for the future, and that interests me as a challenge.”

Mrs Corrigan has a long interest in genetic improvement and her skills align with her new role.

“I brings skills and experience in genetic improvement and have contemporary skills around innovation and environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues for Boards and I can add value in that space,” she said.

“At a board level it’s about understanding strategy and getting that right in an increasingly competitive environment. The big player in our world of genetics is genomics and how that has changed the competitive environment and we need to consider how does that translate to what GA does.”

Mrs Corrigan said it was an exciting time for GA. “What’s happened in the past 12 months in the merger with TLG is extremely exciting because it gives GA a lot more scope and reach into new markets.

“I’m excited to fill this casual vacancy and look forward to contributing and working with the team. I’m a firm believer that for businesses at any level, it’s all about how people work together.”

The Corrigans run 4,000 performance recorded cattle on seven properties near Albury. Over the past 30 years they have developed ‘Rennylea’ with dedicated use of Breedplan for genetic improvement and a highly accurate database of phenotypes and genotypes.

Having graduated with a first-class honours’ degree in Agricultural Science, Mrs Corrigan also has significant off farm experience, including a variety of roles with Dawson International PLC, a multinational textile company and as CEO of the Australian Cashmere Growers Association.

In 2007 she received the Helen Newton Turner Medal from the Association for the Advancement of Animal Breeding and Genetics (AAABG) in recognition for her contribution to animal breeding and genetics.

Mrs Corrigan has been a non-executive Director of DataGene since 2016 and is currently the chair of Animal Genetics Breeding Unit (AGBU) in Armidale, a joint venture between the NSW Department of Primary Industries and University of New England, and regarded as one of the world leaders in R&D of genetic evaluation systems for cattle and sheep, and is chair of the Sheep Sustainability Framework.

She brings to the Board skills and experience in governance, business management, marketing, research, climate change, environmental and animal welfare, and innovation through the value chain.

Board Chairman Trevor Henry welcomed Mrs Corrigan and thanked Mr Sprunt for his contribution to Genetics Australia and the broader dairy industry.

“Lucinda has an awesome resume and brings great breadth of experience to the Board through her industry roles,” Mr Henry said.

“She is well recognised within the beef sector and will strengthen our influence in the sector.”

Mr Henry said Mr Sprunt had contributed significantly to Genetics Australia and the industry. “That will continue with his ongoing contribution to Genetics Australia as a bull provider in both Holstein and Jersey breeds, which is fantastic for the entire industry,” he said.

Mr Sprunt was a Board member for six years, and was Deputy Chairman of the Audit & Risk Management Committee and chaired the genetics sub-committee where he assisted in implementing genomic testing for the Jersey breed in Australia.

Mr Sprunt said he had appreciated his experience with GA. “I’ve enjoyed being part of GA moving forward, particularly the acquisition of Total Livestock Genetics which was a brave move that worked well,” he said.

He added that the time was right to step down from the Board. “I’m a firm believer in getting in and helping out and then making room for someone else with fresh ideas,” he said.

Mr Sprunt sees a bright outlook for GA. “As such a big holding with such big production of semen, Genetics Australia has a very bright future,” he said.