The Australian Organics Recycling Association (AORA) has welcomed five new directors to its board.
John McKew, National Executive Officer, said the board faced an unusual situation with six director positions to be filled following the retirement of Peter Wadewitz, a member of the Order of Australia (South Australia), Greg Whitehead (Queensland) and Tim Richards (Western Australia).
Additionally, three directors were up for re-election after completing their initial two-year term. Pat Soars (New South Wales) was re-elected while Catherine Phillips (Victoria) and Jan Dübbelde(Queensland) did not seek re-election.
John said the company allows for between four to nine directors on the board. Six nominations were received for six director positions, meaning there was no election required.
The new directors are Angus Johnston (NSW), Ashley Johnston (VIC), Daniel van Veen (WA), Simon Humphris (VIC) and Peter Thompson (QLD).
They join Charlie Emery (NSW) who was reappointed chair, Kali Martin from Westrex (QLD) who was appointed Vice Chair, and Lachlan Jeffries (SA) on the AORA board.
Company secretary Michael Wood (VIC) stood down from the role. Greg Whitehead from Candy Soil (QLD) was appointed as the new company secretary at the first board meeting on 21 November 2024.
At the 2024 AORA annual general meeting Peter Wadewitz was awarded Life Membership of the association.
John acknowledged with great appreciation all the retiring directors from the board and wished the incoming directors every success in helping to navigate the future direction and success of the association and the industry.
The new five
Ashley Johnston
Images: The Australian Organics Recycling Association
Ashley has always been immersed in the organics industry, growing up as part of the third generation of Bark King. Bark King has been recycling waste timber and bark into garden mulches and soil conditioners since 1975.
This experience shaped Ashley’s passion for the industry where he built a strong background in operations and business development, successfully leading Bark King’s growth and eventual sale to Repurpose It, where he is now the General Manager of Business Development.
In this role he shares a focus on innovation, growth, strategy, and sustainability. Additionally, as a Victorian Committee Member of AORA, Ashley champions his dedication to promoting the sustainable management of organic resources.
Peter Thompson
With more than 15 years’ experience in the environmental industry, Peter is dedicated to setting direction, delivering results, building organisational capacity and inspiring others. Peter is currently the Chief Strategy Officer at NuGrow, Queensland’s largest compost manufacturer by volume and geographical reach.
Through his role on the AORA board, Peter is motivated to break down many of the barriers preventing the widespread uptake of organics recycling in Australia. He has previous directorship experience having sat on the board of Bicycle Queensland as a non-executive director.
Peter recognises the need for Australia to transition from a linear model to a circular economy model and appreciates how the recycled organics industry can assist in mitigating environmental issues facing Australia.
Daniel van Veen
Daniel is the General Manager Resource Recovery – Western Australia for Veolia and has been with the company for nearly 20 years. In his current role, Daniel has overseen significant growth in Veolia’s West Australian organics business and has transitioned the operations to process more than 80,000 tonnes annually.
Daniel has a passion for the organics industry and has a hands-on approach to achieve circular economy solutions. From advocating for clearer acceptance criteria for food organics, garden organics (FOGO) through to the development of new markets for composted products, Daniel is driven to ensure the production of quality composted products for sustainable end markets is at the centre of all decision making.
Simon Humphris
Simon has worked in the recycled industry for 16 years, working in all aspects of the organics industry, from waste brokering and recycling to recycled organics. His current position as Director of Environmental Resource Solutions allows him to use skills including site development, market design and implementation.
Simon is passionate about compost and its multiple benefits to the climate and soil health and the health of the community. He pioneered compost and mulch sales in agriculture viticulture, helping design the machines to spread the product across Victoria which are still used today. He is the only recipient of AORA’s Outstanding Contribution to Compost Marketing award. Simon currently serves as the AORA Victoria Chairperson.
Angus Johnston
For more than 25 years, Angus has specialised in organic waste recovery for composting and energy generation. His experience includes private sector consulting, government planning, policy development and project delivery, and work with not-for-profit organisations.
His passions for diverting waste from landfill and promoting a circular economy for organics led him to found BioCarbon Soil in 2018. In leading BioCarbon Soil, Angus seeks to improve recycled organic products and develop markets for their beneficial use.
In addition to leading Biocarbon Soil, Angus works with Jackson Environment Planning where he focuses on planning, designing, and licensing organic recycling facilities.
A copy of the 2024 AORA Annual Report is available on the AORA website.
For more information, visit:
www.aora.org.au
