About us

The Agricultural Business Research Institute

Welcome to the Agricultural Business Research Institute (ABRI), situated within the esteemed University of New England in Armidale, NSW, Australia.

ABRI stands tall as a distinguished leader in the realm of agribusiness, offering groundbreaking products, services, and technical advancements with a global footprint.

With a rich history spanning over five decades, our expert team specialises in catering to the needs of both domestic and international livestock industries.

Leveraging their extensive experience and knowledge, they deliver tailored solutions to our esteemed global clientele.

At ABRI, we are equipped with the expertise and resources to meet the dynamic demands of the agribusiness landscape, consistently delivering innovative technology solutions that generate tangible benefits for stakeholders, business and industries alike.

Our Directors

Ian Locke

Director

Ian Locke, brings over three decades of expertise in agricultural economics and farming. Ian’s pivotal roles in ABRI and MLA have helped shape the future of Australian beef and lamb production.

  • Ian Locke, managing partner of Wirruna Poll Hereford Stud, situated in Holbrook, southern NSW, possesses a Bachelor's Degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of New England, Armidale. After establishing himself as an agricultural business consultant in Sydney and Orange, NSW, Ian transitioned to farming in 1994, driven by his passion for grass cultivation and beef cattle.

    Over the years, Ian has developed Wirruna Poll Hereford Stud into a prominent bull breeding enterprise, alongside managing a prime lamb breeding flock. Renowned for his adept utilization of genetic technologies and commitment to herd performance recording, Ian actively engages with the animal science and research community, particularly in beef cattle. Since 2002, Ian has been an integral part of ABRI, currently serving as its Chair since 2014.

    Additionally, Ian has served on MLA's BREEDPLAN and Sheep Genetics Technical committee, since 2020.

Russell Evans

Director

Mr Evans is a technology executive with extensive experience in building and scaling software & data companies to achieve a global market footprint.

  • Over the past 30 years, Russell has worked for several technology companies ranging from large international businesses including Xerox, IBM, Vodafone & Wolters Kluwer to ASX listed companies & AI start-ups.

    Russell has deep expertise in all aspects of software R&D, product development, marketing, sales, implementation & customer success. These skills also extend into M&A and capital raising through both public and private markets.

    Russell is currently on the Council of the University of New England and is on the board of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

    Russell has completed Bachelor of Business (Marketing) and a Master of Business Administration (UNE).

Johan Boshoff

Director

Johan leads the CASI team of software engineers and data scientists, with a specialisation in research-based software engineering and data science.

  • Johan Boshoff is the Director and software architect of the University of New England’s Computation, Analytics, Software, and Informatics (CASI), a business unit he established in 2016. Under Johan’s leadership, CASI has developed a diverse portfolio of 22 software solutions in the last eight years, streamlining processes, and modelling outcomes supporting evidence-based decision-making for users.  

    Johan has over 35 years’ experience in program and project management, leading technical teams and architecting commercial and research-centric software solutions. He founded a software engineering company, where as CEO and technical architect, he led a software engineering team to deliver 65 commercial solutions to a range of industries including manufacturing, retail, hospitality, government, health, and agriculture for national and international clients.

    A highlight of his tenure was the development and operation of an information system to collate and report on the results of the first democratic state election in South Africa.

Chris Armstrong

Director

Professor Chris Armstrong, Deputy Vice Chancellor Research at the University of New England leads the university's research, direction and strategy.

  • Professor Chris Armstrong is the Deputy Vice Chancellor Research for the University of New England, a role he took up in October 2022. At UNE he is responsible for the research direction of the university, including strategy, research services and the Graduate Research School.

    Prior to his appointment at UNE he was the NSW Deputy Chief Scientist & Engineer. He was awarded a Public Service Medal for his services in science and engineering in the 2016 Queens Birthday Honours. He served in the public sector from 2003.

    Within government Chris worked on a range of technical and policy issues including air quality associated with road tunnels, coal seam gas, koalas in NSW, climate modelling, industry decarbonisation, coal dust in the Hunter Valley Coal Chain, longwall mining etc. Chris has a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Sydney.

    Chris joined the ABRI Board in November 2022.

Kris Kauffmann

Director

Mr. Kauffmann serves as an independent director, leveraging his expertise in financial management for public entities, including consultancy roles with the IMF and World Bank.

  • Mr Kauffmann is an economist with extensive international experience in the financial management of public entities. While currently an independent director, Kris was previously a UNE appointee to the Board, having held positions as Strategy Advisor to the Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer of UNE.

    Kris has extensive experience in strategic planning and resource management in public institutions both in Australia and abroad and consults for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank on these topics.

    Mr Kauffmann has completed a Masters of Public Policy and Management (London), a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and a Bachelor of Business (Economic Hons).

Angela Schuster

Chair

Angela is renowned for her innovative projects and strategic vision to drive progress and shape industry standards, including her role in international and national standards committees.

  • Angela is a seasoned professional with a proven track record in spearheading impactful projects within Australia's agricultural sector. Her success stems from her innovative approach, strong leadership capabilities, and strategic foresight. Angela excels in fostering collaboration among diverse stakeholders, including agricultural industry players, federal and jurisdictional regulators, private organizations, and non-governmental organizations focused on conservation, biodiversity, and animal welfare.

    Notably, Angela serves as the Australian Representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Strategic Advisory Group on Smart Farming.

    Additionally, she holds membership in Standards Australia's ITC Governance and Management Standards Committee and IT-028 Electronic Animal Identification and Data Capture Systems Standards Committee. Angela's involvement in various committees and working groups underscores her commitment to shaping industry standards and driving progress in agricultural practices.

ABRI Management

Anita Kauffmann

Managing Director

Anita Kauffmann has experience across a broad section of industries and roles with a unique mix of commercial acumen, government and regulatory compliance, advocacy and leadership operating in politically charged environments. .

  • Anita Kauffmann was appointed Managing Director of ABRI in August 2024.

    With over 20 years as a beef and sheep producer, Anita co-founded Red8 Produce, an innovative meat processing platform for producers to increase profitability, traceability sustainability and ethics, for supply to global niche markets. Anita is a Chartered Accountant, with mediation and governance qualifications and previously served as the UNE’s CFO. Anita also serves on the Hunter New England Local Health District Board, Industry Skills Australia Board and has been an adviser to the former Deputy Prime Minister. Amongst her educational qualifications and credentials, Anita holds degrees in science and commerce.

Colby Funnell

Chief Technology Officer

Colby brings a wealth of expertise from roles at Emerging Systems and Atlassian, where he led engineering teams to deliver global-scale solutions, driving innovation and excellence in service delivery.

  • In 2023, Colby joined ABRI as the inaugural Chief Technical Officer, leveraging his extensive professional experience spanning various roles, from Senior Systems Engineer at Emerging Systems to Head of Engineering at Atlassian. Colby embarked on his career as a Senior Systems Engineer at Emerging Systems, where he successfully designed and implemented systems for over 30 distinct companies, ranging from small office networks to universities and large-scale enterprises.

    Colby’s expertise continued to flourish as he progressed to the position of Senior Systems Engineer for the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. However, his most significant role prior to joining ABRI was as the Head of Engineering at Atlassian. Colby led the Observability teams to deliver global scale real time insights spanning operations in Australia, America and India. Colby eagerly brings his honed skills and expertise that were refined in a fast-paced chaotic cloud environment to a company dedicated to improving the lives of everyday Australians. Colby’s addition to the ABRI team promises to further drive innovation and excellence in service delivery.

  • Nicky Turner

    BREEDPLAN Manager

    Contact

  • Fiona Brierley

    Dairy Express Manager

    Contact

  • Nik Sreedhar

    Breed Logic Product Manager

    Contact

Our History

Established in July 1970, ABRI traces its roots to the visionary leadership of its late founder, Dr. Arthur Rickards OAM, and his colleagues at the University of New England (UNE). Initially conceived as a technology transfer unit within UNE, ABRI’s inception marked a bold leap forward in advancing agricultural innovation.

Dr. Rickards vision for ABRI was to establish a national agribusiness service to facilitate a connection between the technological advancements being developed by UNE and the technology being used within the agricultural and rural industries. Over five decades later, ABRI stands as a global leader in agricultural software solutions, thanks to Dr Rickards ambitious mission.

A pivotal moment came in 1985 with the development of BREEDPLAN, an advanced genetic evaluation system for beef cattle, in collaboration with UNE’s Animal Genetics Breeding Unit (AGBU).

Supported by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), BREEDPLAN has evolved into the cornerstone of genetic evaluation, serving 40 beef cattle breeds and over 14 million animals across 14 countries. Additionally, ABRI offers a diverse range of software solutions for other livestock sectors, including dairy cattle, sheep, goats, and horses.

Under the guidance of current Managing Director Anita Kauffmann, ABRI remains committed to advancing its legacy of knowledge and expertise through continued innovation. Ms Kauffmann’s vision emphasises leveraging new technological advancements to benefit ABRI’s clients and the broader livestock industries.

1970

>>

1970
Established ABRI 
Dr Arthur Rickards OAM
1972 
National Beef Recording Scheme (NBRS)
Mid 1970’s 
Breed Secretariat services introduced
Early 90’s
Dairy Express established to provide a range of services globally
1997 
Internet Solutions released
2004 
ILR2 software released
2004 
HerdMASTER software launched in Australia
2011 
ILRIC – International Livestock Resources and Information Centre
2013 
MateSel software introduced
2018
ACGEA established (Australian Cattle Genetic Exports Agency) 
2024 
BREEDPLAN Select announced. A DNA-Only genetic evaluation powered by BREEDPLAN
1985 
BREEDPLAN – first major software advancement using genetic evaluation developed by AGBU (UNE’s Animal Genetic Breeding Unit)
1987 
International Livestock Registry software launched
1997 BREEDPLAN Extension service established to support the use and understanding of BREEDPLAN software
2024 
BreedLogic launched - the new Breed Registry Software
2020
ILROnline launched

The Agricultural Business Research Institute (ABRI) specialises in delivering a range of high-quality agribusiness information services and technology-driven products to meet the diverse needs of clients within both the Australian and global livestock sectors.

Our clients experience enhanced profitability and operational efficiencies, coupled with advancements in sustainability, through the utilisation of cutting-edge technology solutions.