Sandra leads our TAS Farm Innovation Hub team to ensure key obligations under the hub’s Federal Government Deeds are met, as well as managing the hub’s stakeholders in particular the Industry Advisory Board and government relationships. As a long-term project manager with a legal background, Sandra has strong leadership experience and demonstrated ability to enable change and drive innovation through many roles within the University of Tasmania, including the Industry 4.0 Testlab Project and the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Mission Integration Program. Sandra has extensive knowledge of Tasmanian agriculture and helps manage a mixed-farming family enterprise.

Professor Mohammed is a Senior Research Fellow with the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture and Centre Leader (Agricultural Systems). She has led an eclectic variety of agricultural and forest research projects in both developed and developing countries, including Australia, France, UK, Trinidad, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Congo, Indonesia, Vietnam and China. She is a pioneer of new areas of science such as exploring host defence responses in eucalypts, the development of a biocontrol to a tropical fungal pathogen, modelling the impact of pest and diseases as climate changes, investigating the potential of potatoes in Kenya and Tasmania and developing a whole-farm systems game.

Tony is responsible for the hub’s operational and financial management, regulatory reporting, contract management, and compliance. Holding an Executive MBA, Tony has more than 30 years of leadership experience in investment banking and finance, start-ups and scale-ups, management consulting, and corporate governance predominantly in the private sector.

Melissa manages the hub’s communications and engagement strategies, which include stakeholder relations, media liaison, event management, marketing and branding. Melissa is a communications and engagement specialist with more than 28 years’ experience including roles as a journalist in print, online, radio and television, specialising in rural affairs and the environment. She has also held senior management positions in natural resource management (NRM), politics and local government.

Starting with Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania in 1993 and joining TIA in 2010, Brian has held various RD&E roles across Tasmania’s mixed farming systems, working in the grains, seed and pastoral based industries. Brian’s work is focused on developing industry connections for private and public partnerships to enhance RD&E delivery and impact. Brian is currently a member of the Agrifutures Pasture Seed Industries Advisory Panel and a member of the Tasmanian Seed Industry Group.

As a knowledge broker with the hub, Liana works to ensure our programs and activities meet the needs and priorities of the Tasmanian agricultural community while contributing to the national-level objectives of the Australian Government's Future Drought Fund. Before joining the hub, Liana was a social scientist at the CSIRO, working on various agricultural research projects to bring together different perspectives and knowledge for positive change.

Sophie provides strategic support in the delivery of the National Agricultural Innovation Agenda by connecting research, development, extension and commercialisation for a more resilient and innovative agricultural industry. Prior to joining the hub, Sophie ran an agricultural consulting business for 11 years and worked in extension roles with state government and private sector organisations. Sophie is a skilled facilitator who is passionate about working with people in agriculture. Having spent much of her career working with farmer groups, she has extensive expertise and experience in agricultural extension and systems management.

Maria interacts with farmers and other stakeholders to enable resilience and innovation in Tasmania’s agriculture sector. Her role includes delivering enabling activities, connecting farmers with innovation, and understanding their needs and pathways to improve their resilience to climate variability. Maria has an animal health background and has worked in different countries in the dairy industry, conservation and coral propagation. Maria is passionate about allowing communities to thrive.

Alex engages with farmers and other stakeholders with a focus on resilience and innovation in Tasmania’s agriculture industry. Alex grew up on an irrigated grain farm in the Riverina region of NSW. After completing a Bachelor of Environmental Science and Management, he gravitated back to working in agriculture in various roles from farmhand to operations manager. More recently, Alex has pursued work in international agricultural development, managing projects in India and Vietnam, something he maintains a passion for. In aid of this, he completed a Master of Agricultural Sciences with a strong focus on extension.