Letter from the Chair

Chair of the Sheep Sustainability Framework Steering Group, Dr Scott Williams.

This is a short Chair’s letter, as there has been relatively little Framework activity to report since the last newsletter.

I was very pleased by MLA’s appointment of Courtney Nelson as the Manager of the Sheep Sustainability Framework, succeeding Sarah Hyland.

Courtney was previously at LiveCorp. She brings excellent experience in similar roles, familiarity with the livestock industries and data analytical skills. She is also very energetic and well organised. Just the sort of person we need to manage the SSF.

The SSF Board will soon be appointing a new independent Chair, too, with Lucinda Corrigan’s term having recently come to an end. There are several excellent candidates for the role so I know the governance of the Framework will continue to be in good hands.

I was fortunate to attend the International Wool Textile Organisation Congress in Kyoto in May. The Congress brings together wool industry participants from all over the world. There were plenty of reminders among the presentations of the importance of sustainability to consumers of wool.

One particularly good talk by the GM Markets and Sustainability of the New Zealand Merino Company talked about people’s “consumption guilt” and the opportunity for wool to assuage this pain point through genuine, real-time engagement about our product. He made the case that “honesty is the next big disruptor”.

What a brilliant insight! To me, that captures the intent of the SSF.