Ms Linda Sewell is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of OneFortyOne Plantations. The company was formed in October 2012 to acquire the forward rotations over 80,000 ha of softwood plantations from the Government of South Australia. Prior to this Linda was the CEO successively of HVP Plantations and the laminated veneer lumber (LVL) subsidiary of Carter Holt Harvey with manufacturing operations in Australia and NZ and marketing offices around the world. Linda spearheaded the development of the log export trade via the Port of Portland, Victoria as a long term sustainable complement to the existing domestic markets. Linda is a leader in her industry, having over 6 years on the board of AFPA (and its predecessor A3P), the national industry association representing forest resources, processing and pulp & paper. She is also instrumental in the establishment of the Association of Green Triangle Growers, a collaboration of six major forest growers to encourage new domestic processing options for the surplus fibre in the region. Linda has a Bachelor of Science (Botany) and a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting and Finance).

Presentation outline:

Presentation Topic:  Australian Roundwood Exports, a Case Study

1. Introduce a highly relevant case study on the evolution of the export log trade from Australia, the Port of Portland.

2. Describe the challenging journey from domestic roundwood demand through export failures to a sustainable export business.

3.  Describe how the region is seeking to balance export and domestic markets to build a stronger industry over the long term.