Adrian Goonan, Chief Executive Officer of Warakirri Cropping and Head of Cropping and Diversified Agriculture, Warakirri Asset Management

Adrian Goonan is Chief Executive Officer of Warakirri Cropping and Head of Cropping and Diversified Agriculture.

Adrian is an Agribusiness Executive with a strong long-term safety, environmental and investment return track record. He provides the business with valuable experience in building and operating geographically diverse national portfolios of agricultural assets, investment and organisational strategy and a comprehensive understanding of the agribusiness sector. Adrian has had a lifelong association and passion for Australian Agriculture, being raised on a family farm in north-east Victoria. Adrian holds a Bachelor of Applied Science Project Management and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Tom Murphy, Head of Agriculture and Regional Investment, QIC

Tom has over 20 years of experience in public and private institutional investment across the US, UK and Australia.

He joined QIC in 2018 to develop QIC’s long-term agriculture, natural capital and regional investment strategy and was appointed a Director on North Australia Pastoral Company (NAPCo) Board in 2020.

Prior to QIC, Tom worked for JPMorgan in London and then in New York (Deutsche Bank, Bank of America, Citi Bank) to become head of their Australian institutional equity desks offshore. While at Citi Bank in NYC, Tom founded ‘The A50’ Australian Economic Forum in 2016, in partnership with the Federal Government and Reserve Bank of Australia.

Tom graduated from the University of Queensland (UQ) and attained an M.A. Hons from the University of Cambridge. He is also a former professional rugby player in the UK and Australia where he was elected as a Director to the Australian Rugby Union Board in 2003.

Elizabeth O’Leary, Head of Agriculture and Natural Assets, Macquarie Asset Management

Elizabeth O’Leary is a senior managing director at Macquarie Asset Management and has been head of its agriculture & natural assets business since 2014. Macquarie Asset Management manages ~$A2.8bn on behalf of global institutional investors. Its farmland portfolio spans 4.7m hectares across Australia and Brazil and is operated by four, wholly owned agribusinesses; Paraway Pastoral; Lawson Grains; Viridis Ag; and Cruzeiro. She leads the establishment of funds and is a member of the various Investment Committees and portfolio company boards.

Elizabeth is committed to growing institutional investment in the agricultural sector to support greater profitability and sustainability. Alongside the Clean Energy Finance Corporation and CSIRO, she is a member of the Energy, Emissions and Efficiency Advisory Committee, which aims to decrease the emissions intensity of agriculture production, improve Australia’s natural resource base, and increase the value of Australia’s agricultural sector.

Graeme Russell, Former Chief Executive Officer, Media Super and First Super

Graeme Russell has extensive experience in superannuation governance, management and investment.

Graeme was CEO of Media Super (2013-20) and First Super (2008-12), and previously an Independent Director of Media Super, TISS and JUST Super.

Graeme was Chief of Staff for Victoria’s Minister for Public Transport and The Arts (2007-08).

He was previously an industry and international partnerships executive at Melbourne and Monash Universities, Commercial Manager at the Trade Union Training Authority, CFO for STA Travel and CFO at a newspaper publisher.

Graeme was also a strategy consultant and Chartered Accountant in practice.

Graeme is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

His community service includes Member of the Independent Panel on Best Practice Union Governance, Trustee of the Sustainable Melbourne Fund, Foundation Chairperson of the Inner Metropolitan Regional Association of Councils and Councillor and Mayor of the City of Collingwood.