Eli Court
Chief Executive Officer
Eli is a skilled communicator, a builder of bridges and a person who loves to bring people together to work towards a common cause. He understands the reality and challenges of farming, and is deeply committed to soil and landscape restoration, and to seeing regional communities benefit from the opportunities that regenerative approaches to agriculture offer. Formerly the Engagement and Communications Manager at Soils for Life, Eli has over a decade of experience in the non-profit sector working on climate and sustainability research, policy and engagement. His former roles include Engagement Director at Farmers for Climate Action and System Lead (Food, Land and Oceans) at ClimateWorks Centre, as well as a range of roles in energy systems, community building, government policy development, advocacy and law.
Dr Kate Johnston
Farm Stories Manager
Kate is inspired by those who produce our food and loves sitting down with them for a chat. She believes that meaningful change in our food systems and the regeneration of our landscapes can come through working collaboratively with diverse communities of food producers, innovators and researchers. She is a social scientist who works in an integrative way to bring together different forms of expertise and knowledge to tackle complex ecological and social challenges. She completed her PhD at the University of Sydney and prior to joining Soils for Life worked at the Sydney Environment Institute (USYD) where she is now an honorary fellow.
James Diack
Farmer Engagement Manager
James spent a decade as a community organiser before completing a degree in agriculture. His thesis investigated how Research and Development Corporations address the adoption of regenerative agriculture. Now living in Braidwood, NSW, James has a particular interest in the repair of degraded landscapes. He loves working with people, composting and soil science.
Courtney Young
Peer Learning Manager
Courtney is a community builder, farmer and passionate advocate for agroecology and regenerative grain growing. She co-founded Woodstock Flour with her husband Ian where they grow and mill organic grain for their community and bakeries across Victoria and NSW. Courtney is a committee member of GrAiNZ and she’s previously worked for local Landcare and the Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance. She is a creative and holistic thinker with a Bachelor of Environments from the University of Melbourne. Courtney is driven to empower farmers and rural communities, and she sees food and farming as powerful levers for environmental and social change.
Chris Wieffering
Communications Manager
Chris is passionate about localised agro-ecological food systems, where food is produced based on ecological principles. He has grown food for communities from the Mid North Coast to the Far South Coast NSW, and the Mornington Peninsula. During this time he realised the importance of building resilient food systems and connected communities. He advocates for soil health as a critical element to environmental and social wellbeing. Chris applies his creative and visual communication skillsets to share the stories and knowledge of regeneration and ecological thinking.
Dr Esty Yanco
Operations Manager
Esty has a transdisciplinary education and research background in conservation on production landscapes with a focus on the One Health benefits of regenerative land management. Her research in One Health has focused on realizing opportunities for improving landscape resilience by strengthening positive health relationships between humans, animals, and the environment. Esty has a dual BA in Biology and Geography (Dartmouth College), an MS in Conservation Medicine (Tufts University), and a PhD in Socio-Ecology (UTS), and has extensive experience in research project development, implementation, and administration.
Sarah Fea
Agroecologist
Sarah believes that agriculture is a noble practice and forms the health of a civilisation. Her passion is building the capacity of our agricultural communities from the ground up, by reconnecting us to our roles as food and fibre producers. No matter the enterprise, location, or choice of management practice, Sarah thinks the one conversation that unites us is “achieving restoration of soil functionality”. As an agroecologist with over 30 years of experience in nearly every agricultural practice, Sarah supports individual farmers and small groups to transition their management mindsets and practices towards improved soil and landscape health, supported with in-field observations and fit-for-purpose lab tests. Her purpose, her “WHY”, is to help farmers gain better understanding as to how to appreciate and manage freely available resources - soil, water, sunshine, air, soil micro-workforce, human community - to enable their most effective functionality.
Tahlia Kinrade
Research & Engagement Officer
Tahlia finds purpose in supporting food systems that prioritise landscape health and rural communities. With a Bachelor of Science (Ecology), she has worked in agricultural extension across various industries and regions, including in Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania. She owes much to the farmers she has worked with for the perspectives, challenges, and knowledge they have shared. She sees soil stewardship as the critical link between healthy food, people and landscapes. Inspired by those weaving agroecological principles into the way they farm, Tahlia is always up for a chat about all things food, farming and soil related.
Our Board
Alasdair Macleod
Chair
Alasdair is Executive Chairman of the Macdoch Group, a private investment office with presence in Sydney and London. In Australia, the Group’s interests comprise Macdoch Ventures, an early stage venture capital investor, Macdoch Agricultural Group, with interests in farming, Agricultural technology and Agricultural advisory businesses and The Macdoch Foundation, a charitable corporation which supports environmental and mental health initiatives.
Charlie Maslin
Charlie is a farmer from the southern Monaro, where he has been involved in running a grazing property, ‘Gunningrah’, for the past 35 years. After school, and before returning to his family property, Charlie graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics. He then worked for a futures broker at the Sydney Futures Exchange and as an advisor and trader in the wool and cattle futures markets. Since returning to Gunningrah, the scale, enterprise and management philosophy of the property has undergone a lot of change. The main driving force behind these changes is to sustainably manage part of our precious Australian landscape while coping with the vagaries of the farming environment.
Justin Borevitz
Justin grew up on an experimental vegetable farm, pursuing his interest in plant science at University of California, the Salk Institute and University of Chicago before moving to the world-leading Plant Science Division at Australian National University. With a focus on the genetic basis of adaptation in plant populations, including wheat and the iconic Eucalyptus, he contributes to agricultural productivity and landscape conservation. His work has developed next generation genetic analysis and plant growth facilities extending to landscape-scale field research with high-resolution monitoring and environmental sensing infrastructure. The work enables precision studies of (agro)ecosystem responses to changing management and climate. The ultimate goal is to work with farmers to ensure food security, safeguard biodiversity and ecosystems, and to draw down 1 Gigaton of Carbon Dioxide per year with regenerative farming systems across 100 million hectares.
Carmel Onions
Carmel is passionate about the opportunities and practices that simultaneously regenerate landscapes, reduce net emissions and improve the profitability and resilience of farming enterprises. Carmel works in the banking sector and has almost 30 years of career experience spanning disciplines across finance, strategy, investment analysis, and business transformation in both Australia and London, and she works directly with farming families and corporate agribusinesses. Her achievements include writing the first sustainability linked loan in Australian agriculture. Carmel graduated from the University of Sydney with a First Class Honours degree in Agricultural Economics, and has completed a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance & Investment Analysis
Olivia Lawson
A strong advocate for a sustainable future in agriculture. For the past two decades Olivia has been a partner in a seed stock business based in central Victoria with a focus on holistic grazing systems, best practice animal welfare and sustainable land management, producing efficient, fertile, highly productive beef genetics. In recent years Olivia has served as a non-executive Director on various national and global Boards, advisory Policy Council (in Environment, Sustainability, Animal Welfare), Chaired Board committee in Governance, Finance, Audit, Risk. Olivia has participated in various carbon and climate in agriculture programs and contributed advice on policy development in beef sustainability. Olivia grew up in South Gippsland Victoria and completed a degree in Agricultural Science before working in the wool export sector. Olivia holds a lifelong passion for sustainable agriculture practices and was awarded ‘Landcare Sustainable Farmer of the Year’ in 2013 and the ‘Coles Weekly Times Beef Farmer of the Year’ in 2020.
Pip Band
Pip is a dedicated advocate for the transformative potential of agriculture in driving decarbonisation and landscape restoration, while continuing to meet the fundamental need for food and fibre production. Pip has had the privilege of working in agriculture for the past 15 years and brings prior experience from the finance and consumer sectors, which enriched her approach to sustainability and business strategy.
Pip founded Band Consulting, offering strategic sustainability solutions that enhance business reputations while contributing to a just, equitable, and sustainable future. Her work spans collaborations with industry groups, brands, and allied industries. Pip is proud of lasting contributions made in establishing transformative initiatives including the Australian Beef Sustainability Framework, engagement at global climate and sustainability forums, and forging innovative partnerships to advance sustainable agriculture nationwide.
Amanda Roughan
Amanda is dedicated to advancing collaborative leadership and capacity building in agriculture to enhance the social, economic and ecological prosperity of regional communities. With over 25 years of consulting/facilitation experience in the agricultural sector, she is committed to utilising peer-to-peer mentoring to promote sustainable adoption outcomes. As a Director and co-owner of South East Country Vets in Queensland, Amanda has developed extensive expertise in governance, strategic planning, financial analysis and organisational culture. She lives on a small beef breeding property with her family in southeast Queensland, and has improved the land’s natural capital through regenerative agricultural practices such as time-controlled grazing and pasture cropping. Amanda holds a First-Class Honours degree in Agricultural Science from the University of Queensland and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. She also serves as Deputy Chair of the Southeast Queensland Beef Research Committee and is a member of the Sustainable Resilient Beef Systems working group for Cattle Australia.
