Tanya Barden will start as the CEO of the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) on July 3, 2017.
AFGC Chairman Terry O’Brien says Ms Barden has held the position of AFGC Director of Economics, Trade and Sustainability since 2012, and brings tremendous experience and proven success at senior executive levels in both the public and private sectors.
“Ms Barden comes to the position with a strong background in competition, energy and economics policy and regulation, having worked in various roles at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission,” he said. “Subsequent to this, she worked for energy retailer ActewAGL and ran her own online food-retail business.
“Tanya has been at the forefront of AFGC’s advocacy on key areas of reform, particularly flagging to governments the need to commit to strong energy-market reform to reduce the cost pressures caused by the spike in energy costs. She has also led the sector’s trade agenda, having driven an ongoing focus to improve market access through the reduction of non-tariff barriers.
“In these governmental and corporate roles, Tanya has demonstrated a strong collaborative style and a great ability to think strategically, develop policy, campaign effectively, and engage with business and government on a range of issues.”
Mr O’Brien also pays tribute to the leadership provided by Acting Chief Executive Dr Geoffrey Annison.
“Geoffrey is a great asset to the AFGC, with tremendous knowledge of our industry and commitment to its ongoing growth,” he said. “The Board thanks him for providing steady leadership to the organisation until Tanya begins, and we are delighted that Geoffrey will continue as Deputy CEO beyond that date.”
