The National Farmers’ Federation is on the hunt for a new chief executive following the sudden resignation of Troy Williams, just four months into the job.
NFF President, David Jochinke confirmed the resignation on Tuesday in a statement.
"The Board has accepted his decision, which was made for personal reasons. We thank Mr Williams for his contribution and wish him the very best for the future," Mr Jochinke said.
"While leadership transitions are significant, I am proud of our experienced and committed team.
"It’s business as usual in our work for members and the agricultural sector."
Mr Williams started in the role on March 3, and spoke to APlus News in May about his plans for the organisation.
During that interview - watch the full interview above - he said it was time for government to get off farmers’ backs and that farmers must be treated like the business owners they are, not the "landed gentry" many, particularly in Parliament, treat them as.
He also revealed that the board made a deliberate decision to choose someone from outside the sector to take on the CEO role.
“We've got a lot of family farms, but I can't pretend I've done anything except a lot of fencing and shooting on them,” Mr Williams said.
“What they wanted was someone to understand stakeholder dynamics, how we can best support our member organisations, of which there's 43, and the sector, how we can strengthen NFF's role in the political debate making sure that we're at all the tables."
Mr Williams had previously served as Chief Executive of the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia and Australian Dental Industry Association, among others.
He took over from Tony Mahar, who served as NFF Chief Executive Officer from 2016 to late 2024 and is now the Australian Energy Infrastructure Commissioner.
Mr Jochinke said the NFF board was commencing recruitment for the new CEO and would appoint an interim CEO.
Former Deputy CEO Charlie Thomas, who served as interim CEO between Mr Mahar and Mr Williams, took on the role of Victorian Farmers Federation CEO earlier this month.
