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OUR STORY

Big change always starts with a small movement

When Deane Hewitt left Parramatta in 1904 to work as a Jackaroo in Moura, QLD he would have had no concept of the family journey he was beginning. And it’s safe to say he would be staggered at how the world, and the agricultural industry would change over the next century.

When Gunny and Loye Hewitt purchased Ryhddings in Moura in 1948, they couldn’t have imagined that today their family business would grow to over 5.6 million acres with over 200,000 livestock.

And when Colin and Linda Hewitt formally founded the Hewitt Cattle Company in 1987, everyone was beginning to understand the delicate balance between feeding the world, and nurturing the system that provides the food.

Today that balance is more precarious than ever – it’s why our purpose is to ‘feed the world with a system that lasts forever’. We’re delivering on this by applying a simple approach: we treat animals well, treat people well, and treat the land well. All backed by the most rigorous external certification process.

Our Locations

To fulfill our purpose, we have integrated other like-minded businesses to build an end-to-end supply chain: from livestock production to branded retail-ready products.

Our Leadership Team

Group CEO & Managing Director

Mick Hewitt

“Every day at Hewitt I’m inspired to do the best for our people, animals, environment, and community. Our purpose sets a tone of great ambition, creating a unique passion in our teams, and signalling our intentions to the world.”

Mick, alongside his brother Ben, began his working life as a station hand before moving into property management roles. With an extensive operational background, Mick led the successful negotiations to create one of Australian agriculture’s largest and most innovative, industry focused joint ventures.

Mick is Group CEO and Managing Director of Hewitt, and sits on the board of Arcadian Organic and Natural Meat Co (trading as Hewitt), Western Plains Pork and Aurora Dairies.

Chief Executive Agribusiness & Executive Director

Ben Hewitt

“Our purpose reflects the way Hewitt has done business for generations. And doing the right thing, all of the time, creates opportunities we can maximise.”

Ben, like his brother Mick, began his operational learning as a station hand. For over 25 years, Ben has driven sustainable and profitable business outcomes through his expertise in sustainable land, pasture and herd management techniques and property selection. Today he manages over 230,000 head of livestock across Central and Northern Queensland, Northern Territory and New South Wales.

Ben is Chief Executive Agribusiness and Executive Director of Hewitt, and sits on the board of Arcadian Organic and Natural Meat Co (trading as Hewitt) and Western Plains Pork.

Chairman

Tony Reeves

“I love the authentic nature of all who work here; the sustainable and natural product we produce; the ambition to become a true global leader; and shareholders who are values-driven to care for our people, our environment and our livestock”.

Tony is an experienced non-executive director, and executive with an illustrious and diverse career. He has served as CFO in several Australian public companies including Treasury Wines Estates, Fosters Group and OneSteel; and has held senior executive roles across the globe.

Tony is the Chairman of Hewitt, and of Arcadian Organic and Natural Meat Co. He is also Chair of St Vincents Institute of Medical Research, Director of PBS Private Banking Services, a Fellow of CPA Australia, and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Financial Executives Institute.

Director Livestock & Arcadian Founder

Peter Gall

“I’m inspired by Hewitt to further my exciting journey in the organic industry. Arcadian is in good hands with Hewitt.”

Peter is considered to be a founding father’ of Australia’s organic red meat sector. With over 30 years experience in the industry, Peter founded Arcadian with a vision of an end-to-end organic suply chain, to stay as close as possible to the end consumer. By aligning with major supermarkets and exporters, Peter ensured the continual growth of the upstream supply base he had built.

Today Peter is Director of Livestock, with Arcadian’s 3rd party supply chain operating in alignment with Hewitt. Peter’s in-depth knowledge, long term relationships and passion for success is key to nurturing the younger generation of upcoming Hewitt leaders.

Independent Director

Janelle Cashin

“The team at Hewitt truly believe they are custodians of the land, and take pride in producing animal protein in a sustainable and socially responsible manner. With their knowledge and expertise, we are in a strong position to be a formidable force on the world stage.”

Janelle is one of Australia’s most experienced agriculture leaders, with over 30 years experience running large scale food businesses. Previously CEO of Fairglen Farms, and Chief Operating Officer for the Ingham’s Group, Janelle has a deep level of experience in operations, supply chain management, continuous improvement and acquisitions, integrations & divestment.

In 2022 Janelle joined the Hewitt Board as an Independent Director, and is also a Non-Executive Director of  Tasmanian Oyster Company Ltd.

Group Chief Financial Officer

Brett Kirk

“Hewitt is innovative and resourceful; always looking to grow and lead whilst respecting its founding values.”

Brett Kirk is a finance and business professional with a successful career spanning over 26 years in manufacturing, retail, agriculture, FMCG and land development.

As Group Chief Financial Officer, Brett’s role involves corporate governance, business wide risk management and financial and operational execution. Key responsibilities include delivering sustainable business earnings in addition to managing the Finance, Accounts, Credit, Payroll, Procurement, insurance and IT functions.

With a detailed understanding of business systems, data and the role that information and analytics plays in supporting business growth and earnings, Brett has a mandate to deliver our Digital Transformation (DX)  plan across our global network of operations.