Barnard joins with over 20 years senior leadership experience 

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Steve Barnard joins FMA as its new general manager

Steve Barnard has been named the new general manager of Fresh Markets Australia (FMA). 

Barnard has over 20 years of senior leadership experience in the agricultural, financial services, and industrial sectors including chief executive roles at AniMark, Growcom, and ACO Certification. He holds a Bachelor of Business degree and is a Chartered Accountant and Chartered Company Secretary. 

FMA chair Shane Schnitzler shared his enthusiasm about Barnard joining FMA. 

“We are delighted to welcome Steve Barnard to FMA,” he said. “His extensive leadership experience and commitment to our strategic goals will significantly benefit our organisation and members and stakeholders across Australia’s Central Markets.”   

Barnard told Produce Plus he was extremely passionate about the fresh produce sector. 

“It’s just a great sector to be part of,” he said. “The sector’s very passionate. You’ve got a lot of very, very smart people who are very focused on what they do, and they’re all about making a difference in their own world. For me, that’s quite positive.” 

Barnard said he was looking forward to working with stakeholders from all sides of the sector.  

“My typical programme is to really listen to stakeholders,” he said, “thinking about what stakeholders are expecting from me and from the organisation, because it’s all about providing value to our broad membership base, but then also the broader stakeholder group, which is a pretty big and diverse sector.” 

Schnitzler also expressed his gratitude for former general manager, Gail Woods.  

“Gail Woods has been an invaluable asset to FMA,” Schnitzler said.  “Her leadership and dedication over the past decade have greatly advanced our mission. We are grateful for her continued involvement and look forward to her contributions in her new capacity.” 

Woods has been involved with FMA since 2012 and served as general manager since 2020. Woods will transition to a part-time role, focusing on providing strategic advice and handling special projects such as FreshData. 

“I think we have a similar passion for the industry,” Barnard said of Woods. “If I can do half as good a job as what Gail’s done, I’ll be very happy.”  

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