Georgie Somerset heads up new leadership team at AgForce Queensland
- By: "Farm Tender" News
- Event News
- Aug 16, 2018
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AgForce Queensland will transition to a new leadership team later this year with South Burnett cattle producer Georgie Somerset to become the new General President after Grant Maudsley chose not to re-nominate for the position following four years in the top job.
The changeover will take effect after AgForce’s annual general meeting on 20 November 2018.
AgForce CEO Michael Guerin welcomed Mrs Somerset to her new role and paid tribute to Mr Maudsley, a Mitchell cattle and grains producer who served as General President for the past four years and has been involved at various levels with AgForce for 16 years.
“It’s been an exciting and challenging time in Queensland agriculture over the past four years, with drought, vegetation management and an aborted Defence Department plan to compulsorily acquire farmland among the issues confronting our members,” he said.
“Grant has been a prominent voice and tireless advocate for Queensland agriculture, and has been at the helm while AgForce streamlined our organisational structure.
“It’s a reflection of his strong leadership that our membership numbers have been increasing steadily and there is renewed interest from primary producers right throughout Queensland seeking involvement in AgForce boards and regional councils.”
Mr Maudsley said it was a privilege and honour to serve in various capacities for AgForce, and he was looking forward to continuing to serve as General President over the next three months before stepping back to give a new team the opportunity to take AgForce forward.
“I feel a great sense of pride in how AgForce has strengthened over the past four years, how the industry has united on common causes, and how individual producers have felt more empowered to speak up on their own behalf or through our organisation and others,” he said.
Mrs Somerset, who runs a family beef cattle farming business in Durong with her husband Robert, steps up to General President after serving in various roles for AgForce since its inception, including Vice-President/Deputy Chair and South-East Queensland Regional Director over the past four years.
Mrs Somerset, who will become AgForce’s first female General President, also serves on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Board and is a director of the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Queensland, and Children’s Health Queensland Hospital & Health Service.
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