Find out more about the leadership team and why they joined the committee.
Our Committee
President
Katherine Faull
Katherine has a background in biological and environmental sciences, public health, science communication, and quality management and assurance. She has worked in higher education and the medical device industry, and most recently within the disability sector.
She has had a strong focus on the quality management of the products and services within her portfolios, with a passion for continuous quality improvement, most specifically relating to consumer outcomes and experience.
Katherine is passionate about human connection to nature and food production, and hopes her own truffiere in the Adelaide Hills can help facilitate such experiences for many visitors into the future.
Vice President
Noel Fitzpatrick
Noel is a founding member of the Australian Truffle Industry Association.
He is the founder and director of Truffle Growing Pty Ltd, an industry focused company, providing consultancy, new project design and farm establishment services as well as educational programs to growers.
Noel was awarded an International Specialised Skills Institute Fellowship in 2008 and travelled to Europe to study truffle culture with researchers, scientists and growers in Italy, France and Spain, also attending the Spoleto International Truffle Congress. Noel returned to Europe in 2016 for further studies and continues to collaborate with researchers.
Noel operates his own farm in south east Gippsland, Victoria. The farm is primarily focused on truffle agri-tourism and education.
Secretary
Neil O'Grady
Neil and his wife Jill established their truffière on their farm “Red Ground” in Oberon, NSW in 2016. They planted inoculated oak and pine trees hosting Tuber Melanosporum, Tuber Aestivum and Tuber Borchii species.
Neil became Secretary of the Association in 2019 after a career spanning over 45 years in the financial services sector. During his time in financial services, Neil has held senior executive roles in banking, international trade finance and foreign exchange, financial planning and business consulting.
More recently he was a partner and director of Business Blades Pty Ltd, a consulting firm providing business improvement frameworks to financial institutions and accounting peak bodies in Australia.
Neil now concentrates his time and attention to his farm and the Oberon community. Neil is heavily involved in the local sporting club and charity fund raising events, as well as suicide prevention and mental health awareness, something he feels strongly about which affects rural NSW famers and their families.
With a wealth of experience in strategic planning and business improvement strategies, Neil enjoys his role on the ATIA committee and looks forward to the growth and development of the Association.
Qualifications:
- Diploma of Financial Services (Financial Planning)
- Diploma of International Trade Finance
- Tier 2 General Advice Deposit Products
- Tier 2 General Insurance
VIC State Representative
Jenny McAuley
Jenny McAuley started Red Hill Truffles in 2005. The initial 350 truffle trees, a mixture of oaks and hazelnuts, were bought from Tasmania, and first produced truffle in 2010. Jenny subsequently planted an additional 2300 trees. Planting completed in 2015. The majority of trees are inoculated with Tuber melanasporum, however there are also small plantings of Tuber aestevium and Tuber borchii.
Jenny now runs a busy truffle farm business, providing truffle hunts and tastings throughout the season in her specially designed truffle tasting pavilion. Jenny supplies truffles to local restaurants on the Mornington Peninsula, some city restaurants, as well as opening a farmgate to sell fresh truffle and a range of truffle products.
Jenny joined the ATIA Committee as the Victorian representative in 2019.
NSW State Representative
Jill O'Grady
Jill’s career began in Commercial Banking, working for Westpac in Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney. Eager to move towards agriculture-related sectors, she transitioned to AgriRisk Services, dedicating several years to the cotton farming sector before taking on the role of General Manager of Customer Service and Settlements at CNH Capital.
A shift to the countryside led Jill to Oberon, NSW, where she began as the local weeds officer, eventually progressing to work at the State level of Biosecurity within the NSW Department of Primary Industries.
Currently, Jill's focus revolves around her involvement in the truffle farming business alongside her husband Neil on their farm RedGround. Together, they supply three varieties of truffle to the Sydney restaurant market and international export distributors. Beyond production, Jill actively engages in agritourism ventures, offering immersive experiences, and managing a private farm guesthouse accommodation.
Jill has a Bachelor of Science degree in Maths, Accounting, and Finance, a Graduate Diploma in Equine Science and a Certificate III in Horticulture.
WA State Representative
Paul Robinson
Paul Robinson and wife, Rose Yeoman, purchased a 32 hectare farm in the Middlesex Valley, southeast of Manjimup in 2008 and planted a 5 hectare truffière (Silverwood Truffles) comprising oaks and hazel trees in November 2009 with first production in the winter of 2013. Paul and Rose have focused on soil and tree health, and truffle quality.
Silverwood also rears prime beef cattle. Paul trained as a geologist and has a background in research and industry. He has owned and operated technical and advisory consultancies. He has served on private and listed company boards.
He was member of the Board of Management for Truffle Kerfuffle and on the Committee of Management for Truffle Producers WA. Rose and Paul have been members of ATIA since 2010. Rose was the ATIA WA rep from 2010-2012. Paul was ATIA's Treasurer for a period of 4 years, 2018-2022 until moving to his new position as Western Australian State Representative in 2022.
SA State Representative
Justin Faull
TAS State Representative
Ina Ansmann
Originally from Germany, Ina has called Australia home for most of her adult life. Her background is in Marine Biology and Zoology, and she has worked in various aspects of the tourism industry for over 10 years.
Together with her husband Timothy, Ina moved from Queensland to Tasmania in 2019, where they own and operate The Truffledore, a boutique truffle farm and agri-tourism venture. Their truffière was planted in 2007 and contains 600 oak and hazelnut trees inoculated with Tuber melanosporum.
Timo and Ina are passionate about operating their farm as naturally and organically as possible and offering authentic and immersive small group experiences to their guests.
QLD State Representative
Maple Egerton
Maple and her husband Ben moved to The Folly in 2011, with the intention of setting up the family truffle farm, as it was Ben’s parents who had the idea to grow truffles in their retirement.
The Folly is situated on Queensland’s Granite Belt, an elevation of 700m above sea-level with hot summers and crisp, frosty winters. The 661 hectare property is situated in the hilly traprock, with 450 trees planted over three paddocks totalling 2 hectares. The trees were planted in May 2016, with the first commercial harvest of just over 4kg in 2020.
Further expansion in 2018 saw an additional 900 trees planted at a family block just down the road in 2019, with an additional 900 planted in 2020 over a total of eight hectares.
Maple’s background is in education and music, with Ben running day to day operations on the farms. They have two children. Alongside truffle production, Maple’s interests also include agri-tourism with the farm boasting farm-stay accommodation; and educating visitors about agriculture through farm tours.
Public Officer
Wayne Haslam
Wayne has almost 20 years involvement in the Australian truffle industry and has been harvesting since 2007. He was instrumental in the establishment of the peak body in 2006, the Australian Truffle Industry Association, and was the inaugural President until 2010 and has continued as a serving committee member.
He has continued his contribution to the industry with his involvement in the establishment of the Canberra Region Truffle Festival in 2009, now in its 13th year, and the first Australian truffle marketing cooperative in 2016, trading as ‘EAT Truffle’, (Eastern Australian Tablelands Truffle).
Exporter/Distributer
Adam Wilson
Adam has been at the forefront of the Australian Olive Oil and the Australian Truffle industries for over 20 years.
Adam is the owner of Great Southern Truffles and has been pioneering local Australian and international markets exporting fresh Australian truffles since 2007 while creating a range of value-added truffle products available across Australia and into over 15 International markets.
Exporter/Distributer
Damon Boorman
Damon started in the Australian truffle industry over 20 years ago.
With a passion for the exquisite world of truffles, Damon brings a unique in-depth knowledge of truffle cultivation, truffle hunting, truffle post-harvest processing and fresh truffle sales.
Damon’s journey has taken him from the successful truffle region of Manjimup, WA to the truffle regions of Europe. He lived in France for several years where he collaborated with renowned truffle specialists and industry professionals. He has overseen the plantation management, truffle hunting, truffle processing and sale of fresh truffle for several large truffle plantations based in WA.
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