Emerald farmer and businessman Nigel Burnett, one of the most highly regarded and respected cotton growers in Australia, recently retired as Chair of the Board for Cotton Australia.

In a typical display of unity, cotton industry stakeholders from across the country and the world, have paid tribute to his energy, ability to engage effectively with all audiences and his commitment to see the Australian cotton industry flourish.

Nigel recently reflected on his 12 years on the Board of Cotton Australia, while being interviewed on an Emerald farm.

I’ve been on the Board of Cotton Australia for 12 years and a lot has changed in that time in the Australia cotton industry.

While it’s hard to accurately articulate all those changes what I can say is that those 12 years have been exciting and I have had the pleasure of working with a great group of people and high-performing directors.

Although there's been a lot of work that has happened through that period, it's been a fun time as well and I have built some really strong friendships while serving on the Board.

One thing that I've got out of the Cotton Australia Board is that it's been a strong period of growth for me personally. I have enjoyed the experiences and the opportunities to represent our industry, as a proud farmer, but also proud of our industry and what it has achieved.

To be able to take Australian cotton to the world stage has been rewarding, particularly at sustainability conferences. Unfortunately, in Australia some audiences do not hold us in high regard in terms of sustainability, but I go to these conferences, and we are held up as a gold standard in terms of sustainability.

One of the reasons we are highly regarded globally is myBMP, a program that has been built on research and practice change for the last 30 years, and that’s acknowledged in the world's apparel market.

I think one of the key changes since I started on the Board over the 12 years is at the brand and consumer levels. What we've seen is this movement from seeing our customer at the spinning mill and transitioning that to developing relationships with brands and retailers, expanding those relationships, making them strong and understanding what our customer really wants from us.

We have also seen that focus through the Strategic Roadmap process, and personally what’s been rewarding for me is to lead that process as chair of the steering committee. But what we've seen there is that we've been able to understand exactly what our customers want in terms of those focus areas in traceability, data, sustainably certified cotton, and human rights. And this will be really important for our industry going forward. It'll set us up strategically for the future.

Look, I think when it comes down to it, for me, it's been a really strong period of growth, personally. I've been a product with a few other people out of the Future Cotton Leaders program, and it set me up for wanting to play a role but also given me the capacity to be able to go onto the Cotton Australia Board.

My leadership capacity has grown, and I've been exposed to a lot of opportunities that I certainly do appreciate. Those opportunities have ranged from speaking to our politicians and key decision-makers, but also the opportunity to represent our industry more broadly and that's been really exciting.

The opportunity has been fantastic, and I couldn't think of an industry that I'd rather represent more than the Australian cotton industry because, I'm very proud of what we have all done.

Moving forward, everyone on the Board is of a very high standard and I know the cotton industry is in really good hands. I wish the new Chair, Liz Stott well and I want to wish them the very best. I know they will do a great job, and I’m looking forward to the next successful era in the Australian cotton industry.