When Alison Larard talks about the Advancing Beef Leaders program, her voice carries the steady conviction of someone who has walked alongside it from the very beginning.
Now, as the first executive officer of the Advancing Beef Leaders Foundation, Alison is stepping into a role that feels less like a new appointment and more like a natural evolution.
The Foundation has welcomed Alison to lead the next chapter in delivering its renowned Advancing Beef Leaders (ABL) Program, at a pivotal moment in its history.
Established in 2022, the Foundation supports the ABL Program, designed to champion the development of Australia’s future beef leaders.
It is chaired by Don Heatley OAM and is transitioning from its origins within the Queensland Department of Primary Industries to an independent, board-governed organisation focused on long-term sustainability, national growth and strong industry partnerships.
For Alison, the appointment is deeply personal.
“I have been associated with ABL long term,” she said. “I was one of the original founders and I have had a number of different positions along the way. I was a director for a couple of years, and so, I stepped back a bit from the operations.”
A co-founder and one of the earliest program managers, Alison brings both institutional memory and fresh perspective.
After two years serving on the Foundation’s board, she is resuming operational leadership – gradually stepping across from her current role as a rural financial counsellor in Far North Queensland.
“It’s been valuable to have been supporting others to shape and lead the ABL Program,” Alison said.
“We are expanding our reach nationally, building new and existing partnerships. My goal is to ensure a stable alumni-focused organisation working together with our dedicated board to guide the ABLF into this next era.”
Raised on a small mixed farm on the Darling Downs, Alison describes herself as a “work girl”, immersed in agriculture from childhood.
She went on to study agricultural economics at university in Brisbane and built a career spanning finance, agricultural economics, succession planning, business management consulting, beef extension and project management.
In 2018, she was awarded a Nuffield Australia scholarship, an experience she credits with helping shape the networks and vision behind ABL.
“It helped identify the need for ABL,” she said. “It’s about how you lift people to just be confident to have a go.”
That philosophy sits at the heart of the program.
ABL currently runs two annual cohorts of 11 participants, with one group drawn from beef producers and industry professionals across northern Australia and the other from southern Australia.
It is deliberately pitched as a pathway program – that first step off the property into broader community or industry leadership. Participants range from their early 20s to well into their 50s, reflecting the realities of succession in family businesses and the need for leadership at every stage of life.
Over 12 months, participants undertake peer learning, self-awareness development and leadership training. But the impact extends far beyond the program itself.
“Fifty percent of our alumni have stepped up on boards and committees,” Alison said, noting independent reviews have confirmed the result.
Alumni now sit on local government councils – including one deputy mayor – as well as industry bodies such as AgForce and regional beef research councils.
Others have taken on community roles, from local committees to sporting clubs.
To Alison, every step matters.
“We’ve tried to do ours so that we’re a launching pad,” she said. “You fire them up over 12 months and then try and launch them into the next thing, whatever that next step might be.”
As the Foundation transitions from government-supported project to independent organisation, collaboration remains central.
Strong ties with regional DPI staff continue, and about three-quarters of those now managing and delivering the program are alumni themselves – a sign of both loyalty and momentum.
“We’re always trying to be a connector,” Alison said. “To try and bring private enterprise together with the public sector extension staff is a pretty important thing to us … It’s really just to act as that collaborative approach.”
For Alison, leadership development is not about titles – it’s about confidence, connection and contribution. It is about taking the timid phone call from someone unsure if they belong and helping them see that they do.
As she takes up the executive officer role, the Foundation’s future appears firmly anchored in its original purpose – building capable, confident leaders for Australia’s beef industry – with one of its founders once again guiding the way.
* Applications are now open for the 2026/2027 Advancing Beef Leaders Program, closing on 31 March.
Beef industry producers and professionals from Queensland, the Northern Territory, northern Western Australia and northern New South Wales are encouraged to apply.
Expressions of interest can be made via the ABL Foundation website www.ablfoundation.co/contact-us and full application details will be provided.
