Today, during the opening of our Member Engagement Week, we bid farewell and extended our best wishes to two of AHA’s long-standing member representatives: Dr. Vivien Kite, outgoing CEO of the Australian Chicken Meat Federation, and Malcolm Letts, outgoing Queensland Chief Biosecurity Officer.
Both Viv and Mal are entering retirement and have played instrumental roles through their industry and government positions, respectively, to ensure our biosecurity and animal health systems are fit for purpose.
Their contributions are immense, but we are certain it won’t be the last we see of them as they continue to be allies for animal health and biosecurity more generally.
Take the time to read a bit more below about their roles in supporting and ensuring our systems are stronger and better.
Thank you, Dr. Vivien Kite!
Dr. Vivien Kite has made a preeminent contribution to the evolution and development of the Australian Chicken Meat Industry since the early 1990s. She has also contributed to the progress of the international industry through her various efforts with the Foundation.
For decades, Dr. Kite was the primary contact point for state and Australian government agencies regarding issues involving the Chicken Meat Industry in Australia. She was centrally involved in developing and driving numerous initiatives to support the Australian livestock sector more broadly.
Thanks to leaders like her, the $8 billion poultry industry is now united under a clean and green banner, with a focus on technology, productivity, animal welfare, social responsibility, and communication.
In 2015, Dr. Kite was appointed the Executive Director of the Australian Chicken Meat Federation and the Australian Poultry Industry Association, where she consolidated industry representation and maintained industry cohesion even during difficult circumstances, such as navigating industry continuance through Emergency Animal Disease outbreaks.
Dr. Kite has been a key industry representative on the Consultative Committee on Emergency Animal Disease, where her incisive intellect and ability to present ideas and problems clearly have been invaluable. She has played a very effective role in the interface between the chicken industry, other industries, and government. Moreover, she has displayed remarkable negotiation skills in a forceful and direct manner, essential in crisis management.
Dr. Kite is an intellectually thorough individual who always goes the extra mile. Without a doubt, she has been the pivotal force in providing direction and leadership for the Australian Chicken Meat Industry and is held in high esteem by industry, the scientific community, and government agencies.
Thank you, Malcolm Letts!
Since October 2017, Malcolm Letts has served as Queensland’s Deputy Director-General and Chief Biosecurity Officer. In this role, he has led the policy and operations of Biosecurity Queensland, which is responsible for the Queensland Government’s efforts in preventing, responding to, and recovering from biosecurity threats across the state.
During his tenure, Malcolm has achieved significant outcomes for industry and business by consistently improving the relevance and quality of biosecurity strategy, policy, and processes within Queensland.
Malcolm’s work as an advocate for a system-wide approach to biosecurity has led him to champion coordinated strategies, improved governance arrangements, and the delivery of collaborative projects that have changed the face of biosecurity in Australia. Central to his focus has always been the principle of shared responsibility to protect Australia’s biosecurity status.
Malcolm has been a member of the National Biosecurity Committee (NBC) since 2017 and has been a key driver for a number of NBC priorities, as well as a sponsor of several ground-breaking national initiatives. In recent years, he has taken on a newly established position as co-chair of the NBC, where he has been a voice for state jurisdictions and a leader in collaboration across borders.
In 2019, Malcolm volunteered to chair NBC’s sub-committee, the National Biosecurity Communication and Engagement Network. In leading this group, he has driven significant change around national coordination of communication and engagement efforts, with a particular interest in the better use of social research to optimise biosecurity behaviour change. His work with this sub-group has also significantly improved public information delivery during biosecurity outbreaks.
Malcolm was elected to the Animal Health Australia Board in 2020, and although he will be retiring as the CBO of Queensland, he won’t be leaving our sector just yet.
