Board of Directors

L-R Charles Wilson, Peter Wakefield, Geoff Hewitt (Chairman),
Bob Dall'Alba & Gordon Cherry (circa 2016)

Simon Corish

Chairman

Assoc Diploma of Applied Science – Agronomy. Cotton farmer from Goondiwindi, QLD

Simon was a Director of Cotton Australia Limited from 2007 – 2018, including the Chair of Cotton Australia from 2014 to 2017. Represented Cotton Australia on the Board of the International Better Cotton Initiative from 2014 to 2017. He has been General Manager of the Corish Group of properties since 2002 and has been actively involved in cotton production since 1996. He sat on the National Farmers Federation Water Taskforce from 2008 to 2014 and the General Committee from 2014 to 2017. Simon is still currently involved locally on the Border Rivers Food and Fibre committee.

Geoff Hewitt

Managing Director - Cotton Farmer from Dalby, QLD

Born in 1962, Geoff is a third generation farmer on the Darling Downs in Queensland. He and his family run an aggregation of farms producing both grain crops and cotton, with the primary focus on high quality irrigated cotton. He has over 25 years experience representing agriculture at state and national level. He served on the board of Cotton Australia for 5 years with 2 years as Chairman. He was a Director of Queensland Farmers Federation, and Chairman of the QFF Water Committee for 4 years. He was a Director of Central Downs Irrigators for 12 years, and was appointed to the Ministerial Advisory Committee to the Queensland Government on water reform. He was a Director of listed Agricultural Company Primeag for 2 years prior to its privatisation in 2013. Geoff has been Chair of ProClass since its inception in 2004.

Cliff White

Managing Director - Australian Cotton at Louis Dreyfus Commodities, Brisbane, Australia

Cliff White commenced his cotton career in 1976 with the then Ralli Bros & Coney (now Cargill Cotton) based in Liverpool, England. His career has taken him to all corners of the globe, gaining extensive experience in Asia and having lived in Tanzania, Turkey, Hong Kong, USA and Australia. His near 50 years in the cotton industry have been a global experience. Mr White is a Director and past Chairman of the Australian Cotton Shippers Association, past President of the International Cotton Association, has served on the Board’s of the Texas Cotton Association (past President 2012) and American Cotton Shippers Association, and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Greg Wakefield

Managing Director - Wakefield Inspection Services

Greg Wakefield is the CEO of the Wakefield Group and serves as President of Wakefield Inspection Services, Inc. (U.S. office), a family-owned inspection and control company operating in more than 60 countries. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Wakefield Inspection Services specializes in pre-shipment and post-arrival inspections, cargo surveys, and stock control across a range of commodities, with a particular focus on cotton. A graduate of the Memphis Cotton School in 1994, Greg has remained closely involved in industry education, regularly returning as a guest instructor at the ACSA Cotton School. His commitment to advancing industry standards is further reflected in his active role with the International Cotton Association (ICA), where he has served on both the Board of Directors and the Rules Committee. He is also an Associate Member of the American Cotton Shippers Association (ACSA), contributing to its Foreign Affairs Committee. Over the course of his 35-year career, Greg has played a pivotal role in expanding Wakefield Inspection Services’ global reach, leading growth initiatives in key markets such as Brazil, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Under his leadership, the company has become a recognized global authority in cotton control—deeply involved in education, standards development, and international partnerships.

Eliza Star

Quality & Sales Manager - Queensland Cotton

Eliza has a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and originates from an irrigation property at Carrathool, in Southern New South Wales. In 2016, Eliza commenced her employment with Queensland Cotton initially as Grower Services Representative worked for Queensland Cotton, a subsidiary of Olam Agri Holdings for 7 years. Prior to this, she worked in Sydney for the Agricultural Insurance division of Rabobank. In her role as export manager, Eliza manages the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) sales position, customer quality allocations and promotes Australian Cotton within the export markets. Eliza was elected to the Proclass Board at the end of 2023