EXECUTIVE TEAM
Our Board
Wayne Mulcahy
Group Managing Director
With a lifetime in the dairy industry, Wayne grew up within the family dairy business before completing a mechanical engineering degree and working off farm for an Australian multi national as a factory engineer.
He returned in 2000 after a call from twin brothers David and Peter with a family expansion plan for the business. His return coincided with the development of the Mulcahy dairy processing plant in Kyabram, which the family named Southern Processing, that has been an outstanding success.
The family expansion into fresh chilled milk exports in Asia in 2006 has seen Wayne spearhead the development of export processes and quality control. This included developing container refrigeration and product tagging systems that are now recognised as leading practices throughout Australia providing traceability and quality control.
Peter Mulcahy
Director
After growing up in the dairy industry Peter, in 1987, together with brother David, took control of the family farming operations and began the next evolution of the Mulcahy family businesses.
From the beginning Peter was known in the area as an entrepreneur, an innovator and a leader in the community. Peter knew that hard work, commitment and family unity were fundamental to continuing and growing a multi-generational business.
Peter was instrumental in converting cow herds in Victoria across to a2 genetics beginning with their own herds in 2002. The Mulcahy herds are now completely a2 genetics. The Mulcahy’s understood the benefits of a2 through personal experience and are now a major supplier of a2 throughout Australia and Asia.
David Mulcahy
Director
Being the 5th generation of a dairy family David further developed the family dairy enterprises in 1982 after buying his own property with the support of the family. After years of successfully running this enterprise he joined with his brother Peter in the next evolution of the Mulcahy family businesses.
After the transformation to an a2 herd, David has overseen the growth to over 3,500 cows and the development of Southern Processing milk plant. David developed a milk home delivery business that distributed to over 3,000 regional households and was later sold to Aussie Farmers Direct.
Continuing his commitment to make a difference David is an advocate for regional Australia and was a co-founder and Director for the Australian Dairy Conference. The conferences aim to educate and advocate for Australian dairy farmers.
Jeff Martin
Director & Chairman
Jeff is an accomplished lawyer and has gone on to establish himself as a Non-Executive Director specialist.
Before turning to the law Jeff had an extensive career in senior management with family owned businesses and multinational companies including Nestle, SPC Ltd and a Tatura Milk Industries Ltd. Jeff continues to sit on commercial boards and government advisory bodies.
Jeff’s extensive corporate experience and commercial insight provides Kyvalley Dairy Group a Chairman who understands first hand their commercial needs and dealings.
Richard Boyce
Director
Finance & Investment
Richard is a specialist family business advisor and brings a unique blend of experience to the company board being a practising chartered accountant and tax agent for the last 25 years. He is a 5th generation member of a business family. He has worked with the Mulcahy family since 2011 to develop the generational Mulcahy family corporate model.
Richard has worked with Australia’s leading entrepreneurial families through his role as Oceania Lead Partner for Ernst & Young’s (EY) Global Family Business Centre of Excellence and BOYCE Chartered Accountants, which is the largest Agribusiness specialist firm in Australia. He is an academic director of the global Family Firm Institute (FFI), Chair of RMIT University School of Accounting.
Michelle
Sonnenschein
Theo
VanPapendorp
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Michelle is a CA and highly experienced finance professional with extensive experience in the Australian dairy industry. Former roles include Freedom Foods and Bega. Michelle was previously the Kyvalley Dairy Group CFO and lead the finance division to develop the businesses strategic growth plans and governance.
Michelle has taken over the role of CEO and will continue to work on implementation of the strategic growth and further develop the business to ensure it's longevity of success in the Australian dairy industry landscape.
A highly experienced finance professional with extensive experience in the Australian Dairy industry and the FMCG sector through roles with Goodman Fielder and Devondale Murray Goulburn.
Theo also is the CFO for Remarkable Milk Company of which Kyvalley Dairy Group is the major shareholder.