Charles Kovess – President, LL.B. (Hons), LL.M., CSP, MAICD, KSJ
As well as being AIHA President, Charles Chairs the AIHA Sub Committees on Fibre and Hurd and Marketing and Commercialisation. Charles was the secretary of AIHA for 5 years prior to his election as President. Charles graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Laws with Honours in 1973 and gained his Master of Laws from Monash University in 1980. Charles is CEO and international Marketing Director of TCI (Textile and Composite Industries) and has been heavily involved since 2012 in ensuring that TCI achieves its global vision and goals. Charles is on the Executive Board of the global Federation of International Hemp Organisations (FIHO), as the representative of AIHA, a founding member of FIHO.
Linkedin: https://au.linkedin.com/in/charleskovess
James Vosper- BSc (Hons), FRGS- Vice-President and Public Officer
James is the Chair of the AIHA Medicinal Cannabis Sub Committee and the Regenerative Agriculture Sub Committee. James has been in the hemp industry since 2009. He is the Chief Marketing Officer of the Industrial Hemp Association of NSW, having been President for six years. He is a C-Level Executive with experience in global marketing. He has a BSc Honours in Environmental Management where he specialised in soil science and water resource management. In 2013 he trained under Al Gore’s Climate Leadership Programme and is now a Climate Reality Mentor. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-vosper-35b95a
Arthur Wajs – MBA, BCom -Treasurer
In 2017, Arthur founded HEMP PET, Australia’s first hemp brand for animals, aimed at enhancing animal health and well-being. To ensure a reliable and transparent hemp supply chain, he co-founded Hemp Fields Pty Ltd in 2018, a hemp cultivation, R&D, and manufacturing company situated in the Byron Bay Hinterland. These initiatives have established Arthur as a leading figure in the
Australian hemp industry.
Arthur is actively engaged in advancing hemp legislation and regulatory frameworks at both national and international levels. He serves on the executive board of the AIHA as Treasurer and is Vice President of the NSW Industrial Hemp Association.
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-wajs-654a9b1b/
Marlene Hargreaves – Secretary
Marlene graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Arts, She is also a member of the Marketing and Commercialisation Sub Committee.
Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/marlene-hargreaves-4ab68643/
Georgina Wilkinson (WA) – Committee Member
Georgina has been involved in the Hemp Industry since 2001. She is the owner of the Margaret River Hemp Co. which she founded 21 years ago. She and her husband Gary run a successful Hemp building company in Western Australia. She is the Vice President of the Industrial Hemp Association of WA. Georgina is a hemp farmer and has built Western Australia’s first hemp processing facility. They have just constructed the first house built with Australian-grown organic hemp. Georgina was the Vice President of AIHA for five years.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgina-wilkinson-04b0051a3/
Dr Mary Cole PhD- Committee Member
Soil microbiologist, mycologist, plant pathologist. Internationally known for her work in soil health; educator (Honorary Fellow Faculty of Veterinary & Agricultural sciences); recipient of >$5 million in research funding with all projects completed on time & within budget. Member of AIHA Board & Regenerative Agriculture Sub-committee.
Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/drmarycole/
Darren Christie – Committee Member
Darren represents iHemp Victoria, one of our Affiliate Members, on the board of AIHA. He is a qualified builder and the CEO of Green Buildings Australia. He has pioneered the use of hemp in buildings since 2005. He is the founder of the Global Hemp Summit with the 3rd event having successfully taken place in Melbourne in September 2023.
Dr Omid Ansari- Committee Member
Omid is a respected agricultural expert and executive with 20+ years of experience, specializing in hemp genetics, plant breeding, and agronomy. He holds a PhD from the University of Sydney and has held key R&D and commercial management roles at GRDC and Ecofibre. Currently, Dr Ansari serves as the Research Director at AIHA. He is also the founder and CEO of HempGenTech, a company focused on innovative and sustainable hemp production. Under his leadership, HempGenTech has quickly become a prominent player in the industry. Dr Ansari’s expertise drives the development of new hemp varieties and market expansion, highlighting HempGenTech’s pivotal role in leveraging the crop’s potential to transform agriculture and business.
Linkedin:(24) Omid Ansari | LinkedIn
