Management

 

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.

 

Rod Slater

Chairman

Rod is extremely well known in New Zealand, having established one of the nation's most recognised butcher shop chains and now championing and leading an iconic Kiwi organisation, Beef + Lamb New Zealand.

Little known to many, the World Butchers' Challenge was the brainchild of Rod who made a bet on a bottle of whiskey, that the butchers of NZ could beat those in Australia - and hence, the World Butchers’ Challenge was born!

Ashley Gray

Chief Executive

Co-founder of the Global Meat Alliance, Ashley is passionate about uniting industry in the pre-competitive space. Before moving to Sydney and taking up this new role, Ashley was GM of Beef + Lamb New Zealand. During her first month here, Ashley was thrown into the deep end, being asked to help run the first ever WBC (at that time, the Trans-Tasman Test Match) in Christchurch, NZ. This was her very first glimpse into the world of butchery and now, ten years later she's loving growing a global community with some incredibly passionate people at the forefront.

Pippa MacDonald

Events Director

Pippa has a wealth of experience in running industry events and is currently runs various national events for Retail Meat New Zealand, in addition to the World Butchers’ Challenge. Pippa has also previously managed the Hellers Sharp Blacks, New Zealand's national butchery team.

Be it producing the most detailed run sheet you've ever seen or injecting the sparkle and glitz into the butchery world, Pippa's your girl.

Jacqui Bouchier

Administrative Assistant

Jacqui comes from a butchering family in Australia, the family business is a retail and wholesale operation, where she manages sales and marketing. Jacqui is passionate about the meat industry and everything it has to offer. Joining the World Butchers’ Challenge Team, Jacqui is assisting in administration ahead of the event in Sacramento.

Vicky Shepherd

PR Consultant

Vicky has worked for some of the world's largest FMCG and lifestyle brands in senior PR roles across London, Sydney and Auckland over the last 12 years. She joins the World Butchers' Challenge as a PR consultant to help tell the stories of the talented people and teams who make up this year's contingent. 

 

WBC Board of Directors  

 

  • Australia, Australian Meat Industry Council, Patrick Hutchinson

  • Brazil, Associação Brasileira de Profissionais de Açougu, Flavio Saldanha

  • Canada, WBC Team Canada, Peter Baarda

  • France, Confédération Française de la Boucherie, Boucherie-Charcuterie, Traiteurs (CFBCT), Patrick Gimonet

  • Germany, Fleischsommelier Deutschland e.V., Dirk Freyberger

  • Ireland, Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland, Dave Lang

  • Italy, Associazione Nazionale Italiana Macellai, Orlanda Di Mario

  • NZ, Retail Meat New Zealand, Kit Arkwright

Lauren Shamy

Digital Content Exec.

Lauren is the Digital Content Executive for Beef + Lamb New Zealand, Retail Meat New Zealand and New Zealand Pork - in short, she lives and breathes all things social media and digital marketing. Lauren’s specialty is creative marketing in food and hospitality, which has taken her from New Zealand to London and back again! She has a Bachelor of Communications in PR and Media and in her spare time enjoys cooking and travelling.