Meet the Board – Laura McBain

Laura McBain, former CEO of Bellamy’s Australia and Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year (Corporate) in 2013, was appointed to the Tasmanian Irrigation Board in August 2021 and reappointed in December 2024. Laura reveals why she decided to apply to be a Director of Tasmanian Irrigation and what she is most proud of from her time to date on the Board…

Why did you apply to be a Director of Tasmanian Irrigation? I’ve always loved businesses that quietly underpin Tasmania’s success. After spending a large part of my career in the food industry, I have been extremely interested in what happens long before food reaches the supermarket shelf. Tasmania Irrigation sits right at the beginning of that story, helping create productive, resilient farming businesses and ultimately a stronger and more secure food supply chain. It was an opportunity that seemed too good to pass up.

What skill set did you bring to the Board? I've spent my career helping organisations grow, from entrepreneurial businesses through to listed companies, so I naturally bring a commercial and strategic perspective. But I also bring curiosity. I ask lots of questions — not because I think I know the answers, but because I genuinely enjoy understanding how things work. Good governance isn't about having all the answers; it's about asking the right questions to help an organisation make better decisions.

What are you most proud of in terms of Tasmanian Irrigation’s achievements? For me, it's not the pipelines — it's what sits behind them. Anyone can count kilometres of pipe or megalitres of water. What is much harder to build is an organisation with the capability, systems and culture to deliver that infrastructure safely, efficiently and sustainably for decades to come.

In your view, how important is Tasmanian Irrigation’s work in delivering high-surety irrigation water to our State’s farmers? It's easy to talk about healthy eating or premium Tasmanian produce, but those markets only exist if producers can consistently deliver quality, reliability and supply. Farmers have always managed uncertainty and today there are further pressures, such as a changing climate and global economic challenges. Tasmanian Irrigation can't solve every challenge, but it does address one of the biggest – water security.

What is your favourite thing to do in your leisure time? Reading. I very rarely leave a book unfinished once I’ve started it. A standout this year is Henry Goes Bush by Wayne Marshall. It explores Australian identity and our relationship with Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson through a somewhat improbable science-fiction plot twist. A definite thought starter.

What are your plans for the next decade? I hope I'm still learning. Whether it's through further study, reading, or the organisations I'm fortunate enough to work with, I want to keep tackling interesting problems with good people. And if some of that work helps make Tasmania stronger – even better.