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About Us
Who We Are
Safer Farms is a membership organisation that brings together farmers, CEOs and senior leaders from agribusiness, agricultural industry groups, and government.
Businesses across the supply chain are involved, recognising that the whole sector benefits from improved health and safety.
The group is led by a board of five member directors, who hold leadership roles in agriculture and/or safety.
Board of Directors
Lindy Nelson MNZM, Chair
Farmer, Researcher, and Founder of the Agri-Women's Development Trust and Amplifying Us, Lindy has followed her heart unafraid to tackle challenges within the Primary Industry.
As a young bride and new to the agri sector two things stood out to her; how did we engage and harness the talent of women in our sector and how did we reduce harm on the farm? Having solved the first she is now directing her energy and using her influence toward the second.
Colin Glass, Director
A qualified Fellow Chartered Accountant, Colin holds a Commerce Degree in Farm Management and a post-graduate Diploma in Accountancy and Corporate Finance from Lincoln University.
His previous roles include Chief Financial Officer for Tasman Agriculture Ltd and General Manager of Tasman Farms Limited. In 2001 Colin was appointed to and currently is Chief Executive of New Zealand’s largest dairy farming business Dairy Holdings Limited.
Colin is a Director of a number of irrigation and agribusiness companies. He is a farmer elected director of DairyNZ and Chairman of the Mid Canterbury 32,000ha piped irrigation scheme, Ashburton Lyndhurst Irrigation Limited.
Colin is passionate about health and safety on New Zealand farms. He is a founding director of Safer Farms. He has been championing the need for cultural change across the farming sector including the businesses he is directly involved with. At Dairy Holdings the management team are driving a safer working environment by developing a set of non-negotiable Lifesaving rules and the team are leading a number of initiatives to eliminate critical risks especially around vehicles, stock and our teams awareness of how they respond to random events.
Colin is married to Paula and they have two teenage girls. His own farming interests in Mid-Canterbury include a 670 cow dairy farm and a 310ha bull beef operation.
Stephen Guerin, Director
Stephen was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PGG Wrightson Limited in June 2019. Stephen is a director of several Group subsidiaries and a Director of the PGG Wrightson Employee Benefits Plan Trustee Limited. He holds a Bachelor of Business Studies (Accounting) from Massey University and is a member of the Institute of Directors and Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand. Stephen is also a director on a community charity board.
Prior to his appointment as CEO, Stephen was responsible for all aspects of the Retail & Water group business which includes the Rural Supplies, Fruitfed Supplies, Agritrade, and Water businesses. He has worked for PGG Wrightson Limited and its predecessor companies since 1988.
Mark Leslie, Director
CEO of Pāmu (Landcorp Farming)
Mark has 25 years of experience in the Agricultural Industry including roles in operations, logistics, technology and product development, and quality assurance. Prior to joining Pāmu Mr Leslie was COO at Silver Fern Farms, and before that nearly two decades at Fonterra including as head of the operations and supply chain component of the brands business in New Zealand and, previously had responsibility for the operation of the 94 ingredients plants across Fonterra’s 27 sites along with the associated milk collection activities.
Mark has also held several Board and Ministerial Advisory roles and chaired the Fonterra and Silver Fern Farms joint venture company Kotahi (which provides freight logistics solutions to a number of key New Zealand exporters and importers) for six years and the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium. He holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Hons) and a Masters of Business Administration (with Distinction), both from Massey University.
He grew up on a dairy farm in Reporoa on the North Island’s Central Plateau.
Sarah Perriam-Lampp, Director
Sarah Perriam-Lampp is an award-winning journalist, podcast host, columnist and owner of the creative communication agency, Perriam Media based in Tai Tapu, Canterbury which works with NZ’s leading agricultural science and agribusiness to more deeply connect with farmers and growers.
As a rural broadcaster with a decade of experience across TV, radio, podcast and print, Sarah’s pulse on where New Zealand’s food and fibre producers need to better position themselves makes her a valuable mainstay in any muster of the minds!
Her podcast Sarah’s Country reaches over 30,000 listeners per month and nearing a thousand episodes in 2022.
She is currently on an AGMARDT leadership scholarship to develop ‘value chain’ solutions that connects luxury brands to procure from aspirational food & fibre producers in turn generating greater returns.
Originally from a merino station in Central Otago, Sarah lives with her husband Will, an agronomist with Carrfields, currently building in Methven and couldn’t be happier than nurturing her garden or hiking in the Canterbury hills.
David Chin, Director
CEO of Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC)
David joined LIC in 2006 and was appointed to the role of Chief Executive in January 2022. He has held several leadership roles over that time including GM Operations and Service and Chief Transformation Officer. David is a passionate advocate for herd improvement and the New Zealand dairy industry.
Before arriving at LIC, David was Brand and Communications Manager at Kiwibank and Deputy Director/Business Manager at City Gallery Wellington. He’s also worked in various marketing and consulting roles at New Zealand Post.