role of oa
Oysters Australia Limited (OA) is a national body that was formed in 2011 by Australia's community of oyster growers.
The primary purpose of OA is to manage a program of research, development, and extension for the benefit of the Australian oyster industry. This involves defining the needs of industry, identifying suitable entities to conduct the research, monitoring progress, and ensuring the results are implemented in a manner that benefits the end users.
Oysters Australia also has a representative responsibility to address issues affecting the whole oyster industry.
OUR staff
DAVID JORDAN
CHAIRMAN
Also: Director of Parramatta Eels NRL Club, Director of Flexible Working Day Australia
David joined the Oysters Australia Board of Directors as Chair in early 2023. With a wealth of experience in both privately owned and ASX listed companies, David has a consistent history in delivering impressive results in growth, operational performance, profitability and change management.
Bringing fresh eyes to the oyster industry and the operations of Oysters Australia, David has provided high-level leadership to the likes to HS Fresh Food, Costa Group, Baskin Robbins and the Coles Liquor Group. In addition to his current Directorships, he has also previoulsy served on the boards of Driscoll’s Australia and the Australian Blueberry Growers Association.
ANNE STUNZNER
EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Also: Seafood Industry Australia Aquaculture Advisory Committee
Anne in her former role was the CEO of the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia, and over the last few years has guided significant investment in innovative research & development programs. This has included investment in the Northern Australian Tropical Rock Oyster project.
Anne is an experienced Executive with a long history in primary industries, and has a Churchill Fellowship in the application of innovation to primary production. She has also spent time in Canberra as a Senior Policy Advisor to various Ministers.
GRAHAM MARSHALL
COMPANY SECRETARY & FINANCE MANAGER
Also: Fellow of Australian Institute of Company Directors;
Graham is the Managing Director of Corporate & Business Development Services Pty Ltd, specialising in finance, company secretary, risk management and compliance services (RiskComply). He has recently been appointed to Oysters Australia as Company Secretary and Finance Manager on a contractual basis. Graham is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and was a member of the Board for nine years, a Fellow of CPA Australia, a Member of the Risk Management Institute of Australasia, and a Certified Risk Management Technician.
OUR directors
ANNA SIMONDS
Also: Industry Support Officer Sapphire Coast Wilderness Oysters (SCWO)
Anna is a second-generation oyster farmer based in Pambula Lake on the Far South Coast of NSW. She’s been on oyster leases in Pambula lake since she was a kid, and has been actively farming herself for over 10 years. She has also served as the Industry Support Officer for Sapphire Coast Wilderness Oysters since May 2022. Prior to taking on the farm, Anna spent over a decade working for the Department of Agriculture in various agricultural policy, stakeholder engagement and communication roles. She also served as a Departmental Liaison Officer within a Minister's Office.
WARWICK ANDERSON
Also: NSW Aquaculture Research Advisory Committee; Non-Executive Director Australia's Oyster Coast
Warwick owned and operated Kingfisher Oysters at Wapengo Lake on the south coast of NSW from 2012 until 2021 producing award winning Sydney Rock Oysters (multiple gold and silver medals at the RAS) and Native Oysters. His qualifications include a Bachelor of Science in marine biology and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Through extensive previous experience running several small businesses he brings practical and commercial skills in communication and relationship building. Warwick continues to maintain active connections with many oyster farmers both within AOC and independent farmers along the NSW coast.
TIM PAULY
Also: Oysters Tasmania; Executive Chair of Marine Culture - Oyster Producer in Tasmania, South Australia & NSW
Fisheries stock assessment, Research, Business and Technology Development - Tim brings with him a suite of commercial and technical skills, along with experience built on a background of R&D and business development. This includes the successful development and commercialisation of scientific software and aquaculture products overseas into more than 30 countries. He co-founded Echoview, working for fifteen years as Director of Technical and Business Development. Echoview develops and distributes the world’s leading fisheries hydroacoustics visualization and analysis software suite. At the Australian Antarctic Division, he ran their marine acoustics stock assessment program for ten years, and represented the Australian Government at numerous international meetings. For five years he studied and worked as a research associate participating in a wide range of projects at the Centre for Marine Science and Technology at Curtin University.
IAN DUTHIE
Oysters Tasmania; Tasmanian Oyster Farmer
Ian is Managing Director of SeaPerfect Pty Ltd a new shellfish hatchery business. He was there at the birth of the selective breeding program running the larvae for the then University of Tasmania project, and has maintained a strong interest in the program since that time. He has worked extensively within the shellfish aquaculture industry establishing a small grow out farm, but predominately within the hatchery sector, including Cameron of Tasmania, Marine Shellfish Hatcheries, Geordy River Aquaculture, Shellfish Culture and Spring Bay Seafoods. He has also travelled extensively with a Nuffield Scholarship investigating shellfish businesses around the globe, and consulted to enterprises within Australia and internationally. His previously held the position of Chair of TSEC and TORC, and is currently a director of Oysters Tasmania.
GARY ZIPPEL
South Australian Oyster Growers Association; South Australian Oyster Farmer
Gary Zippel has been involved in the Oyster Industry for over 30 years and is a Director of the family company Zippel Enterprises. He began work on the family wheat sheep farm at Mudamuckla on the west coast of South Australia. In 1989 the family decided to diversify and settled on oyster farming at Smoky Bay as an addition to the enterprise. The family land farm was sold in 2000 and Oyster farming became the sole focus of the family.
Gary and his two brothers Ashley and Bruce have been Oyster farmers at Smoky Bay for over 30 years and continue to evolve their oyster growing business.
Gary is currently the Vice Chairman of the South Australian Oyster Growers and is on the Oysters Australia board. He has previously been a director of Australian Seafood Industries (ASI) and a chairman of South Australia Oyster Research Council.
STEVE BOWLEY
South Australian Oyster Growers Association; South Australian Oyster Farmer
A South Australian oyster farmer, growing oysters on the spit in Stansbury, Yorke Peninsula as PACIFIC ESTATE OYSTERS (PEO) – a family partnership. PEO is a specialist on-grower providing juvenile oysters to a number of growers on the West Coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia since June 2006.
Steve has a background in Financial and Operational Management as well as Corporate Governance; he is an operational and financial trouble-shooter with experience in planning, developing and implementing solutions to complex commercial problems.
He served as Chairman of the South Australian Oyster Research Council Pty. Ltd. (SAORC) from 2008 to 2017. SAORC is the research and development arm of the South Australian Oyster Industry and is a wholly owned subsidiary of the peak industry body representing oyster growers in South Australia. Its main role is to coordinate research with a view to maximising industry economic development by collect levies paid by industry and commissioning research.