Australia: Adelaide businessman John Bastian joins ABB Grain Export board

Prominent Adelaide businessman, John Bastian, will join the board of ABB Grain Export as an independent director from August 28, the company released August 25.

He is probably best remembered for his time at lens manufacturer, Sola Optical, where he spent 11 of his 15 years as managing director.

Mr Bastian, 54, has for the past four years been a member of the South Australian Economic Development Board (and currently its deputy chairman) and is an advisory member of the executive committee of Cabinet.

In October 2004, Mr Bastian was appointed to the Dairy Farmers Cooperative board in Sydney and is the only non-dairy farmer on that board. Mr Bastian is also a director of TGR Biosciences, a biotech company partly owned by Dairy Australia and three universities.

Mr Bastian’s previous directorships include SAGRIC International and AusBulk. He was a previous business leader of the year award recipient from BRW magazine and in 1998/1999 chaired a regional development task force for the South Australian Government.

ABB’s company secretary, Ashley Roff, said Mr Bastian joined existing directors Trevor Day (chairman), Paul Daniel and Andrew Barr on ABB Grain Export’s board. Nomination of a second independent director has been deferred by SAFF Grains Council until the SA Barley Marketing Working Group has completed its task.

“John’s appointment, approved by the ABB Grain board, follows changes to the structure of ABB Grain Export’s board, announced in April, aimed at improving transparency and growers’ confidence in the operation of the pool; this has included appointment of a separate chairman and establishment of the South Australian Single Desk Transparency Committee, headed by James Rackham,” Mr Roff said.

“John Bastian brings to ABB Grain Export considerable business success and experience but he is also a person with great understanding of agricultural and primary production within Australia.”

ABB Grain Export is the body responsible for the South Australian Barley Single Desk; its responsibilities include maximising net pool returns for growers, ensuring pool to cash transactions are monitored, and ensuring provision of efficient services to the barley pool.

30 August, 2006