Welcoming new board members

September 15, 2022

The Crawford Fund is pleased to welcome two new members to the Board of Directors, appointed at the most recent Board meeting.

Dr Wendy Craik AM FTSE

Dr Wendy Craik has over 30 years’ experience in senior roles in public policy to bring to the Fund. She has been a Commissioner of the Productivity Commission, Chair of the Climate Change Authority, President of the National Competition Council, Chair of the Australian Fisheries Management Authority, Executive Director of the National Farmers Federation, Deputy Chancellor of the University of South Australia, Chief Executive of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission, and Executive Officer of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. She was also a Board member of the CGIAR center WorldFish. Wendy is currently a board member of the Reserve Bank, Chair of the Steering Committee overseeing the Eradication of Red Imported Fire Ants, Chair of the OneBasin CRC and a member of the Future Drought Fund Consultative Committee.

Wendy also takes on the chairing role of the Crawford Fund’s ACT Committee and on her appointment said, “I am looking forward to working with the Crawford Fund as it runs such valuable programs.”

Wendy takes on the ACT chair following the retirement from the board of The Hon Margaret Reid who had chaired the ACT Committee since 2011.

While the board was sad to farewell long serving board member, The Hon Margaret Reid, we are all pleased to know that Margaret continues her association with the Fund as a Patron – more details here.

The Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon GradCertBA, GAICD

First elected to the House of Representatives in 1996, Joel Fitzgibbon served as Defence Minister and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in the Rudd Government. He also served as Chief Government Whip in the Gillard Government. Over the course of his 26 years in the Parliament, Joel held a number of Shadow Ministerial positions including Assistant Treasury, Financial Services, Defence, Mining, Energy, Agriculture, Small Business, Tourism and Regional Australia. He was also the Chair of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence & Trade. Joel retired from the House of Representatives in 2022.

On his appointment, Joel said “There is no more worthy a cause than our quest to address global food insecurity and it is a privilege to join the amazing Crawford Fund team”.