The Cattle Australia National Beef Leaders 2025 participants – Samuel Martin, Billi Marshall, Tom Taheny, Eliza Gray, Timothy Mitchell and Hannah Powe.
Cattle Australia has announced its 2025 National Beef Leaders (NBL) participants, chosen for their potential to become the next generation of skilled and capable captains of industry.
Seven candidates from across Australia have been selected for the NBL program, which focuses on attracting and retaining exceptional people and empowering them to become leaders of the grass-fed beef industry.
CA Chief Executive Officer, Dr Chris Parker, said the high calibre of the cohort was proof the future of the beef industry would be in safe hands.
“These young people have already proven they are capable, focused and committed to the beef industry, and were chosen for their experience in a range of fields, including data management, genomics, animal welfare and mentoring secondary students for careers in agriculture,” Dr Parker said.
“Over 2025, they will undertake a leadership and personal development program, including multiple face-to-face sessions, CA and Government engagement, a regional tour, and training in public speaking, policy formation, negotiating, and media.
“By developing innovative leaders who bring a fresh attitude to new challenges, we are securing a strong and sustainable future for the grass-fed beef industry.”
The 2025 National Beef Leaders are:
- Hannah Gibb, Operations Manager, Nbryo Pty Ltd, Queensland
- Timothy Mitchell, Livestock Procurement Manager, Drury Farming Co, Queensland
- Eliza Gray, Innovation Projects Officer, Australian Agricultural Company, Queensland
- Samuel Martin, Stud Principal, Southcote Shorthorns, NSW
- Hannah Powe, NSW Genomics Territory Manager, Neogen Australasia, NSW
- Tom Taheny, Farm Manager, Naracoorte, SA
- Billi Marshall, Director, Imperial Bovine Feeding Services, WA
Cattle Australia’s NBL program is the grass-fed beef industry’s flagship leadership program, designed for people aged between 21 and 35 years who are established in their careers and ready to take the next step in leadership and advocacy.
It is judged on the following criteria:
- Capacity to represent the Australian beef industry and CA
- Leadership capacity, in presentation and in conduct, over the course of the program
- Beef industry knowledge
- Presentation skills
The program participants will be officially acknowledged at CA’s inaugural producer day, Cattle Connect 2024, to be held at Bective Station, Tamworth, NSW, on Thursday, November 21.
Further information on the 2025 National Beef Leaders:
New South Wales:
Hannah Powe is NSW Genomics Territory Manager for Neogen Australasia and also owns Goondoola Livestock, producing stud and commercial Angus and Red Angus cattle on the Central Tablelands. A former livestock editor of The Land newspaper, Hannah has been an Australian beef industry ambassador in several international forums in the US and Canada, and was selected for exchange programs including the University of Illinois Scholarship, Angus Australia Trans-Tasman Exchange, and the Texas A&M Exchange. She is interested in how genetic selection can contribute to more sustainable practices that help to optimise efficiency and reduce environmental impact.
Samuel Martin has 20 years’ experience in the beef industry which includes roles in farming, stock and station agency, and corporate agriculture. Based at Walcha, NSW, he and his wife Jodie run the Southcote Shorthorn Stud in conjunction with a large-scale trading and backgrounding enterprise. As the Technical Director for Shorthorn Beef, Samuel was responsible for rolling out Expected Progeny Difference (EPD) to members, and developed a paddock to plate carcase project with a range of industry partners. Samuel’s key areas of interest are providing greater access to whole herd performance recording for commercial producers, and young farmer livestock lending, to provide opportunities for cashflow for people without beef cattle enterprises.
Queensland:
Hannah Gibb is a third generation seedstock producer employed as Operations Manager for Nbryo, a company seeking to transform beef and dairy production systems globally through a platform of technologies that enable a new breeding system through the in vitro production of bovine embryos. In her former role with AA Co, Hannah spent four years managing complex systems across the supply chain, including supply and operational planning, feedlot forecasting and processing schedules, internal feedlot cattle movements and flows, feedlot commodity usage and purchasing. She sees a need for better data system development and integration across both the grass and grain-fed beef industries. Hannah is currently co-ordinator for NZ Hereford Youth (remotely) and NZ Team Manager for the 2025 World Hereford Conference Young Breeder Competition in the US.
Timothy Mitchell is the Livestock Procurement Manager for Drury Farming Company, responsible for procurement of all cattle from paddock to hook. Timothy enjoys working with many different stakeholders to build a stronger supply chain and the challenge of producing a consistent beef product 365 days of the year. His current goal is to take the Condabri feed yard from 15,000SCU to 35,000SCU. He is passionate about animal welfare and looks to constantly improve the wellbeing of all animals, including cattle, horses ridden in the feedlot and dogs used for mustering. Timothy’s previous experience included working his way up to head stockman on a station in the Kimberley region, and completing a Bachelor of Business (Agriculture) at Marcus Oldham College.
Eliza Gray is Innovation Projects Officer for AA Co, and has been involved in projects including the first large-scale, long-fed Asparagopsis trial in Wagyu feeder cattle. She oversees AA Co’s Animal Health and Wellbeing Extension and Adoption Partnership with MLA, and believes there is a lot to be gained from identifying and reducing barriers to adopting innovative practices in the northern beef industry. For the past four years, Eliza has mentored Year 12 students interested in pursuing careers in ag science, northern beef production, and large animal veterinary science, to ensure the next generation of female leaders in the beef industry.
South Australia:
Tom Taheny is Farm Manager for the Western District Pastoral Company’s property, Maranoa Downs, at Naracoorte, which joins a large number of Angus females annually. He was raised on his family’s cropping and livestock farm before completing a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at the University of Adelaide and managing southern operations for an Angus and Santa Gertrudis stud at Lucindale. Tom has been selected for several leadership positions including the 2023 GenAngus Future Leaders Program and 2022 Australian Wool Innovation Breeding Leadership Course. Tom was a participant on Adelaide University’s live cattle export tour of northern Australian facilities and Indonesian feedlots, abattoirs and wet markets. His key areas of interest are ensuring the sustainability of markets; shrinking the gap between farmgate and supermarket prices; and on farm productivity, including cow production efficiency.
Western Australia:
Billi Marshall started her own business, Imperial Bovine Breeding Services, at the age of 25 after working in broadacre cropping and gaining accreditation as an authorised pregnancy tester specialising in reproduction. She delivers services including AI, semen testing and herd management to clients ranging over an area of 2500km, and in 2023, pregnancy tested 34,000 head of cattle. Billi is an experienced exhibitor and judge of stud cattle, and was the 2020 Angus Australia Trans-Tasman Scholarship recipient. She is currently President of the WA Youth Cattle Association and is keenly interested in the evolution of data management and technology for producers, to enable them to make better informed decisions.
-Cattle Australia