Rose Philipzen steps up as first female President of Australia’s premier dairy event – Australian Dairy Conference (ADC)
ADC 2024 Melbourne brought record attendances for Australia’s premier dairy event and simultaneously witnessed a 
changing of the guard with the appointment of ADC’s first female President in New South Wales dairy farmer Rose Philipzen.
Rose, hailing from a rich dairy background and upbringing with the family-run Moxey Farms, is currently the Head of People & Culture for Australian Fresh Milk Holdings (AFMH) based out of Orange, New South Wales.
The ADC 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and transition was held during ADC 2024 Melbourne Conference where current President Rochester dairy farmer Tom Acocks stood aside as he nears his 10-year service on the Board to pave way for a new chapter and era for the event.
Rose has been a member of the ADC Board since 2018 including a member of the Executive and is looking forward to taking the helm as ADC has grown in reputation and attendance over recent years.
“If you have been to ADC then you know it’s like joining a family. This is what attracts people back every year and as part of that family, the ADC Board is a really progressive farmer-driven organisation that I am excited to lead,” said Rose.
“ADC is placed in a unique position that our priority is to orchestrate and present an annual forum that finds the absolute best and contentious issues from across the globe and put that front and centre for Australian dairy farmers every year,” she said.
“At ADC we get to be bold, we get to be provocative and we are here to place our industry in the best possible position to succeed and flourish,” said Rose.
“On top of successful event delivery and longevity, ADC is also built on a model to develop leaders within our dairy community as part of Board representation and involvement and we’ve seen many dairy farmers who have chaired Conferences go on to Board representation,” said Rose.
“Ironically, I am one probably the only President who has not chaired an ADC event but instead bring a wealth of industry knowledge and experience to the role,” she said.
“I am really looking forward to the future evolution of ADC and how we continue to strive to be at the forefront of issues for the industry and a place to discuss, debate and challenge each other,” said Rose.
“I would like to thank outgoing President Tom Acocks for his ADC leadership and the contributions of Ben Geard and Andrew Tyler who step down off the Board after both serving ADC for more than a decade. The organisation is incredible thankful for their vision and guidance over their tenure and they have played a significant role in shaping the organisation where it is today,” said Rose.
ADC Board movements at ADC 2024 Melbourne Annual General Meeting included:
- Appointment of Rose Philipzen to the role of ADC President
- Tom Acocks remains an ADC Board member
- Brendan Hehir was appointed as a permanent ADC Board member (previously held a casual position)
- Ben Geard retired from the ADC Board after serving 10 years
- Andrew Tyler retired from the ADC Board after serving 10 years
- Other ADC Board positions remain the same.
ADC Board Representatives (current) 2024:
- Rose Philipzen (President) – dairy farmer, NSW
- Tom Acocks – dairy farmer, VIC
- Paul Roderick – dairy farmer, QLD
- Brendan Hehir – dairy farmer, VIC
- Liza Fahey – dairy farmer, VIC
- Jo Bills – ADC Industry Director
- Dr Richard Rawnsley – ADC Scientific Director
- Harper Kilpatrick – ADC Finance Director
- Ashlee Gardiner – Dairy Australia Director