The WBC Team
The World Butchers' Challenge is organised from Australia by a small team who report to the World Butchers' Challenge Board of Directors. The team have been involved in the event since 2011 and are hugely passionate about overseeing its successful growth. We love a chat so if you have any questions or ideas please feel free to drop us a line.
Ashley Gray
Chief Executive
Ashley is CEO of the World Butchers’ Challenge and Director of Array Brands, with a career built around bringing people and industries together. Before moving to Sydney, she was GM of Beef + Lamb New Zealand, where she helped deliver the first Trans-Tasman Test Match, the event that would become WBC. More than a decade later, she is leading its growth into a global platform connecting butchers, industry and ideas across nations.
Pippa MacDonald
Events Director
Pippa brings extensive experience delivering major industry events for Retail Meat New Zealand, Beef + Lamb New Zealand and the World Butchers’ Challenge. She has been involved in every international edition of WBC and previously managed the Hellers Sharp Blacks, New Zealand’s national butchery team. She combines meticulous event planning with the energy, creativity and polish that make WBC memorable.
Jacqui Bouchier
Head of Business Operations
Jacqui comes from a butchering family in Australia and has worked across sales and marketing within her family’s retail and wholesale business.
Passionate about the people, pride, and community that surround the trade, Jacqui supports the World Butchers’ Challenge across operations, strategy and coordination, and is proud to play a part in its ongoing growth.
Vicky Shepherd
PR Consultant
Vicky is an experienced PR and communications leader who has worked with major FMCG and lifestyle brands across London, Sydney and Auckland. As our PR consultant, she helps bring the competition to life by telling the stories of its teams, people and global community, building profile and momentum in the lead-up to Brisbane 2028.
Mark Gonzalez
Marketing Manager
Mark has spent more than 20 years building brands and delivering digital marketing strategies across a range of industries. Joining the World Butchers’ Challenge team as Marketing Manager, Mark is passionate about showcasing the people, teams and stories that make this global community so special.