Our Board of Directors set the vision and long-term goals of the co-operative. This includes the strategy to achieve that vision, as well as the monitoring of the strategy implementation.
They also play an important role in ensuring that LIC complies with all necessary legislation and account to shareholders for the LIC’s activities.
We have six farmer-elected and three independently appointed directors.
Farmer-elected directors are shareholders of LIC, elected by shareholders to represent the North or South Island. Appointed directors are independent, and ensure our Board has the appropriate skills and competencies to lead LIC effectively. Their perspectives and experience complement the industry knowledge and other expertise provided by farmer elected directors.
Director elections are held at our Annual Meeting. All directors serve a three-year term.
Left to Right: Victoria Trayner, Ben Dickie, Candace Kinser, Matt Ross, Corrigan Sowman (Chair), Tim Gibson, Alison Watters, Duncan Coull, Sophie Haslem
Director profiles
M: 027 625 6646
Corrigan and his wife Ruth (along with their two sons) are part owners of Uruwhenua Farms, a 400ha family owned dairy farm in Golden Bay.
He has been a part of the dairy sector since graduating from Massey University firstly as a Consulting Officer and Farm Consultant in Canterbury, before returning to the farm in 2008.
Off farm, Corrigan has been a Chair of SIDE, a Director and Chair of SIDDC which operates Lincoln University Dairy Farm, and Deputy Chair of the DairyNZ Dairy Environment Leaders program. He is also a Kellogg Rural Leader, 2019 Nuffield Scholar and 2021 Graduate of the Fonterra Governance Development Programme.
Corrigan is a member of the Fonterra Sustainability Advisory Panel, a group providing independent advice to the Fonterra Senior Management Team and Board.
Corrigan was elected to the Board in October 2022.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Applied Science (Majors in Natural Resource Management and Agriculture)
M: 027 431 2746
Matt Ross and his wife Julie farm a 580ha property, milking 1800 cows in the Waitaki Valley inland from Oamaru. He and Julie were Sharemilkers of the Year in 2007.
Matt has a long association with LIC, starting as an artificial breeding technician in 1995. He is a current member of the Dairy Environmental Leaders Forum and is a graduate of the Fonterra Governance Development Programme.
Matt was elected to the Board in June 2017.
Qualifications
- BApplSc Ag (Massey University).
Other directorships
- North Otago Irrigation Company (Chair).
- Bortons Agri Limited (director and shareholder).
M: 027 291 6056
Victoria and her husband Glen (with their three girls) farm in Oxford, Canterbury, milking 650 cows and running two support blocks, as well as a lease block.
Victoria’s primary sector experience is drawn from her own farming enterprise and involvement across sector with governance and as a tutor for the primary ITO and Agri-business group. Victoria was appointed as the 1st Associate Director for the Alliance Group in 2021. She was rewarded the Trinity Land scholarship for the Fonterra Governance Programme which she completed in 2020.
Victoria’s current governance roles are Waimakariri Irrigation Company, North Canterbury Land- Holding limited, Platinum Farming limited and Motu Lodge Stud limited. Highly passionate about farming and her community, Victoria’s previous governance and leadership roles have been Chairman of the Canterbury Plan Change 7 Primary Sector Group, Waimakariri Land-Care Trust as a founding trustee and the Next Generation Farmers group.
Victoria is a descendant of Waitaha and Ngati Mamoe, both of which are represented by the Ngai Tahu Iwi. The knowledge of her land and farming is comprehensive across the different primary sectors from both a farm gate and corporate perspective.
Victoria was elected to the Board in October 2023.
Qualifications
- Master Business Administration 2020
- Bachelor of Agriculture 2012
- Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning 2009
- Bachelor of Fine Arts 2008
- NZHND 2003
Other Directorships
- Waimakariri Irrigation Limited
- North Canterbury Land-holdings limited
- Platinum Farming limited
- Motu Lodge Stud Limited
M: 027 293 7955
Ben and his wife Vanessa (along with their three children) milk 1,500 cows on three farms near Waverley in South Taranaki.
Prior to becoming a dairy farmer in 2005, Ben was a financial analyst in Sydney specialising in publicly listed mining companies. While working in the finance sector, he completed the three year CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) programme in 2003.
Ben was elected to the Fonterra Shareholders’ Council in 2016 and completed the Fonterra Governance Development Programme in 2017. Until 2017, Ben was the Chair, for seven years, of the West Coast Lessees Association, which represents the interests of around 300 leaseholders of PKW land in Taranaki.
Qualifications:
- BSc (Hons) in Geology (Otago University)
- BCom in Finance (Otago University)
Other Directorships:
- Appointed Chair of the Shareholder Council’s Performance Committee in 2017
- Taranaki Veterinary Centre Ltd
- Trustee of the Waverley Primary School
Ben was elected to the Board in June 2018.
M: 029 441 4022
Alison Watters is an experienced Director who, with her husband Andrew, owns a 500-cow dairy farm in the Wairarapa.
She is passionate about the dairy industry, and in particular about making sure innovation, and specifically genetics, is at the forefront of ensuring dairying remains successful in New Zealand.
Alison was elected to the Board in June 2014.
Qualifications
- B.Agr.Sc (Hons) (Massey University).
- PhD (Massey University).
Other directorships
- High-Value Nutrition (National Science Challenge)
- AgInvest Holdings Limited (shareholder)
- Owner of MyFarm Limited
- Agriculture Resources Limited
- Totally Vets Limited
- Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited (Acting Chair)
- Fonterra Co-Operative Group Limited
M: 027 472 7110
Duncan and his wife Julie farm in the King Country. His current farming interests include a dairy farm operation, two equity partnerships as well as a Kiwifruit and forestry block. Duncan also founded Rural Business Solutions, a company providing farm supervision and business advisory services.
Duncan has an extensive dairy background including Rural banking experience and was a member of the Fonterra Shareholder Council from 2010 – 2019 of which he was Chair for 4.5 years. He also chaired the Fonterra Governance Development Programme committee from 2017 – 2019.
Duncan was elected to the Board in October 2023.
Other Directorships
- Chair of Ballance Agri-Nutrients
- New Zealand Phosphate Company
- Co-Chair Otorohanga College Board
- RBS (2015) Limited
M: 021 390 587
Tim has many years’ experience in export industries and agriculture starting in Dunedin with Donaghys Limited.
Tim was the Chief Executive of NZ Trade & Enterprise and has held managing director and senior executive positions in dairy co-operatives and public companies.
He is a Director of several companies including Port Otago Ltd, Taupo-based milk processing company Miraka Ltd, Skills Consulting Limited, Silver Fern Farms Limited, and Manage My Health Global Ltd.
Tim was appointed to the Board in October 2017.
Qualifications
- BA (Hons) (Otago University).
- LLB (Otago University).
Other directorships
- The Equanut Company Limited (Chair)
- Port Otago (Chair)
- Port Otago Limited (Port Chalmers Container Terminal Limited; Chalmers Properties Limited; Fiordland Pilot Services Limited; Te Rapa Gateway Limited)
- Silver Fern Farms Co-Operative Limited
- Silver Fern Farms Limited (Silver Fern Farms Joint Ventures Limited; Silver Fern Farms Holdings Limited)
- Skills Consulting Group Limited
- Tūhana Consulting Limited
- Tūhana Business & Human Rights Limited
Candace has held a number of senior roles in the biotech and technology sector including over a decade of experience as a CEO and Board Director on private, Crown and NZX listed boards. In 2012, when she was the CEO of NZTech, she was behind the creation of TechWeek, the annual technology festival in New Zealand and was the founder of NZTech Women as well as a supporting founder for ShadowTech, helping young women into careers in technology.
She is currently an NZTE Beachheads Advisor and works with the University of Auckland Return on Science national research commercialisation program. Her driving passion is leveraging growth-focussed, innovative science and technology companies to succeed globally.
With advanced qualifications in business, governance and technology, Candace has had experience growing companies on the world stage as the CEO of genetics software company Biomatters through to first-hand experience in preparing and listing a technology company on the NZX as a Director of EROAD. Candace was the recipient of the Leadership award for the 2017 AUT Business Awards and is a regular speaker at conferences on the topic of technology innovation and business growth.
Candace was appointed to the Board in October 2015.
Qualifications
- BA(Hons) in Anthropology & Political Science (University of Hawaii)
- PG Dip in International Business (Massey University)
- Masters of Management (Massey University)
- Short form MBA in Bio-Pharma (Rutgers University)
- Post-graduate studies in Governance and Risk Management in Asian Business (University of Melbourne)
- Cybersecurity: Technology, Application and Policy (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Other directorships
- Hellius Therapeutics Limited (Chair)
- Cancer Society of New Zealand Auckland Northland Division Incorporated (Chair)
- Cancer Society of New Zealand Incorporated
- Return on Science Investment Scheme at the University of Auckland (Investment Committee Member)
- Eastland Group Limited (Eastland Network Limited; Eastland Generation Limited; Eastland Port Limited)
- Gisborne Airport Limited
Sophie has more than 20 years of broad commercial experience working across a range of companies. She has a strong executive background in banking, finance and mergers and acquisitions.
Sophie has held a number of senior roles including Head of Commercial & Investment at New Zealand Post and Strategy and Investments Manager at The ECN Group.
Sophie was appointed to the Board in December 2018.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Commerce (Melbourne University)
- Postgraduate diploma in Management (Melbourne University)
Other directorships
- Rangatira Limited
- CentrePort Limited and its subsidiaries
- Kordia Group Limited (Chair)
- Payments NZ Limited
- CH4 Global Inc (Shareholder)
- Nib NZ Limited
- Nib NZ Insurance Limited
