Stephen Brown announced as industry body’s new chief executive taking over from Manus Stockdale

Stephen Brown vegetablesWA cropped

New VegetablesWA chief executive Stephen Brown

VegetablesWA has announced the appointment of Stephen Brown as its new chief executive officer, effective immediately.

VegetablesWA president Dan Kuzmicich welcomed Brown to the role and said he brought valuable experience to the role.

“After a comprehensive recruitment process, VegetablesWA is pleased to announce that Stephen Brown will be stepping into the role. Stephen has previously been the chief executive of WA Farmers for three years and has worked in the agricultural industry for over 20 years,” said Kuzmicich.

Stephen will bring extensive management and leadership skills to the role, which will be hugely beneficial to our members and the wider West Australian horticulture sector.” 

Brown said he was looking forward to applying his knowledge and experience gained throughout his career in not-for-profits, rural banking, and agricultural machinery to benefit vegetable growers across the state.

“I am keen to get out in the field in the coming months to meet growers and stakeholders across Western Australia, to discuss their operations and gain ground-level insight into the issues our members are facing. I am excited to bring my understanding of banking and finance to the role, which I believe will prove valuable to members,” Brown said.

Kuzmicich also thanked outgoing acting chief executive Manus Stockdale for his contribution.

“I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Manus Stockdale, who took over the role of acting chief executive officer for the past year and during his tenure achieved some fantastic results for the association and the industry,” Kuzmicich said.