WEST PERTH, AUSTRALIA — The CBH Group appointed member director Simon Stead as deputy chairman of the board, effective immediately.

Stead replaces Vern Dempster, who has been deputy chairman through April 2013-14 and re-appointed to the position in August 2014.

Dempster said he had chosen not to renominate for the position. He will remain on the board as one of two member-elected directors for district 2.

Stead has been a member director of the CBH board since 2015 and is the CBH appointed representative on the Co-operatives WA Council. He is also a member of the Industry Advisory Board of the UWA Institute of Agriculture and a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Stead runs a mixed cropping, sheep and cattle operation in Cascade and Dalyup in the Esperance port zone. 

Wally Newman, chairman, thanked Dempster for his support and valuable contribution to the role of deputy chairman.

“Vern is a very passionate supporter of our industry, and in particular, he has been a longtime champion of the co-operative business model that puts the grower at the center of everything we do,” Newman said. “On behalf of the board, I congratulate Simon on his appointment, and I look forward to working closely with him and the rest of the board as we continue to execute our strategy to ensure our growers remain internationally competitive.”