Friday, March 29, 2024

Keeping OSPRI relevant the key

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Traceability is the next big thing for New Zealand agriculture as it strives to realise export potential. Michelle Edge tells Annette Scott she is keen to add her organisational capability to NZ’s primary industry opportunities in her new role leading OSPRI. Packing up life in homeland Australia and crossing the ditch with a 15-month-old daughter to start a new career in New Zealand is not everyone’s idea of excitement.
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But for 35-year-old Michelle Edge leaving Melbourne on a new career mission to Wellington is really spinning her wheels.

Edge has been appointed the new chief executive of OSPRI.

“And I am really excited about getting to NZ to take on some international experience and make the most of the opportunity the company can provide,” she said.

“I have worked with NZ companies in the past and they are progressive and innovative and I am looking forward to being a part of that.

“I think traceability will be the next big thing as far as agriculture goes in respect to realising export potential.

“OSPRI is at the forefront of being able to drive new traceability which underpins product integrity and NZ has good opportunity to realise the next step in technological advances in terms of traceability,” Edge said.

Edge was excited about the opportunities with OSPRI to drive NZ agriculture and also the opening to challenge her personal career.

“That’s what encouraged me to look at OSPRI.”

Edge would bring a wealth of agricultural industry experience to her leadership of OSPRI, having had an extensive career spanning scientific research, government regulation and policy and industry organisations in the Australian agricultural sector. 

She was most recently chief executive of Australian Meat Processor Corporation (AMPC), a levy-funded research, development and extension organisation operating in the red meat sector. 

AMPC is the rural research and development body responsible for investing in research and development on behalf of the Australian meat processing industry and supply chain. 

Edge held the position for five years during which time she implemented a range of changes in the AMPC business, including an enhanced service delivery model for research, development and education on behalf of meat processing levy-payers. 

Before AMPC Edge held senior positions in the Victorian government involving the development of the national Research, Development and Education Strategy for the Primary Industries Ministerial Council.

She was involved with setting strategic research priorities and enhancing capability, collaboration and co-investment and developing the Victorian Livestock Management Act and associated regulations. 

Edge has worked as a research scientist in animal welfare and animal production and held a position as the executive officer with the Animal Welfare Science Centre at the University of Melbourne. 

She has also practised as a consultant, delivering projects to the livestock industries in research, policy, extension, education and training for industry, government and commercial stakeholders.

“In her career to date, Edge has demonstrated visionary leadership, strong commercial acumen and deep strategic insight,” OSPRI chairman Jeff Grant said.

“These skills will be key to OSPRI’s future development and direction and we are excited to have her join the business,” he said.

It was the support of the OSPRI board that swayed Edge to take the position.

“I have received wonderful support from the board in being appointed chief executive. I wouldn’t have been able to consider the role without that support as with my little girl, flexibility in the role will be key,” Edge said.

“Being able to step back into this environment straight from maternity leave has been a huge factor for me and to do that with a NZ primary industries company is a real privilege.”

"I think traceability will be the next big thing as far as agriculture goes in respect to realising export potential."

Edge had a taste of Kiwi life in 2000 when straight from university she spent a couple of years working in NZ as a tour manager with Contiki.

While she acknowledged OSPRI as a different challenge to her previous role with AMPC it was a challenge she was keen to take on.

“The key for me as chief executive will be to develop strategy that makes the company more relevant to industry and driving projects in that direction.

“It is striving to grow opportunity and further develop the baseline programmes to clearly show NZ has product integrity that drives my enthusiasm to make a difference for NZ primary industries.

“I expect industry will want to see greater market access for their investments in the key programmes and anything OSPRI can do to facilitate that will be a priority in developing strategy.”

Initially Edge planned to work with the board and stakeholders to develop agreed strategy and define what the future would look like for OSPRI.

Strategy would be based on underpinning the two platform programmes, NAIT and TBfree, with effective biosecurity and animal health initiatives that would include training, animal health identification and disease management.

Edge said OSPRI had the expertise to identify and address new opportunities for partnerships between government and industry, with a chance to grow opportunities in providing world-leading biosecurity and pest management strategies.

“I am very excited about taking this step to lead such a progressive and innovative organisation and NZ is unique in its ability, given its relative size and industry collaboration to realise good opportunities.”

Edge will step into her new Wellington-based position early next month. She takes over from William McCook who led the organisation for 12 years, initially as the Animal Health Board and then played a key part in the formation of OSPRI. He stepped down as chief executive in February.

While she has played golf in the past and enjoyed her horses, Edge expects her new role and her little girl will more than fill her days.

“It takes four hours for a game of golf and horses are also time-consuming so I don’t see myself having time for either of these in the immediate future,” she said.

About OSPRI 

OSPRI is a not-for-profit limited company established in July 2013. Its shareholders are DairyNZ, Beef and Lamb NZ and Deer Industry NZ. 

The TBfree and National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) programmes are wholly-owned subsidiaries of OSPRI Ltd. OSPRI also receives funding for its programmes from the Crown via the Ministry for Primary Industries. 

OSPRI's primary role is to help protect and enhance the reputation of New Zealand’s primary industries. 

OSPRI is the result of a merger between the Animal Health Board and NAIT, allowing the two organisations to better meet farmers’ needs.

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