The Network’s North-Northwest Forestry Hub Appoints its General Manager
The Network would like to welcome Monika Winston as General Manager for the North-Northwest pilot Forestry Hub.
Monika is new to both Tasmania and the forest industry, but joins us with a wealth of experience, passion and determination to deliver on the Hub’s objectives.
A trained lawyer, Monika worked in corporate law in Melbourne for a number of years before moving into corporate strategy, business growth and development. Monika worked for Mars Incorporated, both in Melbourne and in London. More recently, Monika worked in corporate strategy in the wine industry.
Monika is looking forward to commencing her position as General Manager of the Hub. Her first priority as General Manager is seeking to understand the priorities of all the key stakeholders.
“There is a clear remit from the Commonwealth around the objectives of the Hub, so it’s now about focusing on how we incorporate the key stakeholders’ priorities to make sure we develop a plan that is really impactful,” she said.
In September 2017, the Australian Government launched the National Forest Industries Plan: Growing a Better Australia – A Billion Trees for Jobs and Growth. The Plan outlines the Australian Government’s strategy to underpin growth in the renewable timber and wood-fibre industry.
This Plan ambitiously aims to deliver a billion new trees over the next decade (including 400,000 new hectares of plantations nationally) to meet a projected quadrupling of global demand for timber products by 2050, planting the right trees, at the right scale, in the right places. Part of this Plan was to establish a group of forestry hubs across Australia to assist with strategy development and implementation.
The North-Northwest Hub was established to support the capacity of the forest industry in North and Northwest Tasmania to meet long term increases in demand for timber, by consulting extensively with stakeholders across the forest value chain to identify and progress industry and regional priorities to meet that demand.
Under Monika’s leadership, the Hub will work with forest industry, regional stakeholders, federal, state and local government, other key stakeholders and the community to achieve the following outcomes:
- A stakeholder driven process, underpinned by an appropriate governance process, including a Steering Committee that will comprise members from across the whole forest industry and be representative of the supply chain, forest resource sector and other key regional stakeholders.
- Consultation with industry, including a stakeholder forum, to work through the priorities of the region as part of a broader Regional Hub Plan.
- Identified pathways for achieving the Regional Hub objectives through the development of a detailed implementation plan for focus areas, including next steps and budget.
Monika is driven to bring the objectives from the Commonwealth together with the priorities of stakeholders to build and implement a successful strategy and roadmap.
“I think the Hub can be a powerful example of best practice in sustainable forestry, and the acceleration of growth in this space,” she said, “Our aim is for the Hub to be a centre of best practice and excellence nationally.”
Monika will be based in Hobart in the Private Forests Tasmania office, and will travel to the North and Northwest in consultation with stakeholders. Monika is looking forward to meeting people in the Tasmanian forest industry in the coming months, and to exploring Tasmania with her husband.
