McKINNA et al director Dr David McKinna has been awarded the prestigious 2018 Merial Howard W Yelland Award, for his outstanding service to the Australian beef industry.
Presented by the Australian Beef Industry Foundation (ABIF), in partnership with Marcus Oldham College, Dr McKinna was recognised for his leadership and initiative in the red meat industry, including being a founding architect of the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) program.
Dr McKinna becomes the 35th recipient of the award, presented at the Marcus Oldham Leadership Program dinner last month.
ABIF chairman John Gunthorpe said Dr McKinna, and his team at McKINNA et al, are quiet achievers.
“Their diligent and long-term efforts shaped the successful drive by Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation, and then Meat & Livestock Australia, for increased consumer acceptance of beef products here and overseas,” Mr Gunthorpe said.
“All in the beef supply chain benefit from the careful management of perception and understanding of our consumer relationships with our beef products.
“The most noted example is the development of MSA and its placement of power in the hands of consumers to select product for their end use needs.”
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Dr McKinna was also recognised for developing and implementing domestic and export marketing and research strategies in the red meat sector.
Dr McKinna said the idea for MSA started over lunch with a decent steak and bottle of red wine.
“Those few scribbled notes on a table napkin were about trying to solve a marketing problem, marketing was a new concept then,” Dr McKinna said.
“What unfolded was a 20-year supply chain solution which did not all go as planned, but has set the Australian beef industry up to capture the maximum value possible from the current dining boom.”
