People

John Said (Chair) is one of Australia’s most experienced and successful vegetable growers. John has a passion for strategic solutions around water and the future of growers. He is the Managing Director of Fresh Select (Aust.) Pty Ltd, a vertically-integrated farming company specialised in production of vegetables focusing on consumer needs and trends, selling primarily through a supply partnership with Coles Australia. John is also a board member of the Australian Fresh Produce Alliance – a group of 14 companies representing half of Australia’s total fresh fruit and vegetable industry turnover and over a third of all Australian fruit and vegetable exports.

John has a deep appreciation of grower commercial realities and practical structures for water infrastructure and food bowl design and investment. He has led the engagement of local food growers in designing a grower water cooperative structure to protect grower rights, reduce costs and ensure a sustainable water environment for future generations.

David Downie – Director a 40-plus year career in leadership roles in Australian State and Commonwealth government, notably as two-time Victorian Secretary for Water and the Environment during the critical years of Australian water reform from 1980s through the 2000s and as Secretary of Energy delivering reform of that sector in the 1990s.

David closely-supported the lead architect of many of Australia’s progressive water reforms, the late Dr John Paterson AO: David helped establish world-leading statutory water rights, water trading systems and environmental rights to water.

David has overseen the design, delivery and reform of some of the most iconic water infrastructure schemes in the country, such as Snowy Mountains Scheme Corporatisation, Victoria’s North-South Pipe and Desalination Plant.

David has led Australian government water sustainability and reform delegations advising African, Asian and South American nations and continues to advise Mexican, Chilean and United States jurisdictions in a private capacity. He co-founded the Australian water market trading bourse www.h2ox.com and remains involved in practical regional economic development as an adviser to Deakin University’s Centre for Regional and Rural Futures.

Frank Favretto – Director a former Chartered Accountant and senior investment banker; for seven years a Director and Executive Vice-President of Bankers Trust Australia, Frank is highly experienced in start-up company development and funding through to successful IPOs and mergers.

Frank grew up in a horticulture community and has a long history in water infrastructure and market investment. He was a co-Founder and remains a Director of the world-leading online Water Exchange www.h2ox.com, a result of an initiative of Water For Rivers Ltd, a company which was owned by the Australian Commonwealth and the New South Wales and Victorian governments.

Luke Fraser – Director a respected Australian infrastructure and economic policy architect, with over 22 years of experience, with particular focus on the transport, agriculture and water sectors – in these fields Luke has developed a reputation as a reformer, interested in bringing patient market capital to investments which benefit communities as well as investors.

Luke is founder and principal of advisory firm Juturna, which provides innovative new origination approaches to large-scale investment in regional Australia – a part of the country traditionally overlooked for major deal flows. Luke is a trusted adviser to governments and has over a decade of Commonwealth public sector experience including a brief period as Ministerial Chief of Staff. He has been appointed by the Australian and State governments to national reform boards in agriculture and transport.