FROM THE CHAIRMAN Peter Milne, A.M In this year’s Annual Report I’m going to talk about our people right up front, so it’s clear and unambiguous that our people are at the heart of this organisation. AHA’s Members, the executive team, staff and the Board together constitute AHA and I have appreciated the goodwill of each of these groups throughout the year. Their dedication has ensured that the occasional issues that arose were quickly resolved and helped AHA largely deliver on the commitments in the 201617 Annual Operating Plan (AOP). With the myriad of interactions we have with each other, the shared vision and the professionalism of our people is regularly on display and the comradery emerges easily. AHA’s Members play a big part in the success of AHA through their valued contribution to our planning processes by helping determine what we do and how we fund our activities. AHA is one of the most consultative organisations I know, and it is certain to remain that way into the future, given the benefits which have flowed from the practice over time. During the year, AHA made a greater effort to induct and mentor new people in the Members group, to ensure they were quickly able to contribute at the Members’ Forums and other meetings, benefitting their organisations as well as AHA. The diversity of views, combined with the willingness of people to make decisions for the common good, ensured Members’ Forums continued to provide a valuable opportunity for organisations in the livestock biosecurity system to develop consensus on difficult issues. In July, the Board worked with the executive management team and staff in the Reflections Workshop, which was all about the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) process that Kathleen Plowman, AHA CEO, has driven through the company. A couple of things happened that day; firstly, I had been a bit of a closet M&E sceptic and I became an M&E believer. I suddenly ‘got it’ and appreciated the value of the model in use. 6 “Progress with delivering future financial sustainability to AHA is going to be much more challenging and yet it is arguably the most important thing we can do...” Secondly, and more importantly, the Reflections Workshop reinforced to myself and other directors how committed our people are to delivering outcomes and value for our Members and for the livestock industry. It’s not just about the task at hand! The M&E process put the culture and enthusiasm of our staff clearly on display, as well as highlighting the progress with programs over the year (and the areas that needed a tweak!) At the tail end of 2016, the Board acknowledged the performance and achievements of Kathleen Plowman in her first term in office, by offering to renew her CEO contract. We were thrilled by her acceptance of our offer and note the continuation of significant progress driven by Kathleen and her executive team in the period since, and her key role in creating the organisational culture I mentioned earlier. The last group of people I want to discuss are our directors. In November 2016, at the AGM, three new directors were appointed to the AHA Board and they have settled into their role well. We have the most diverse Board we have ever had and I’d like to acknowledge the individual skills and experience of the Board members and the value their collective contribution has added to AHA over the year. Towards the end of 2017 there will be an internal review of Board performance, with the intention of determining any further enhancements to our activities that can be adopted. ANNUAL REPORT 2016-17
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