SEPWA’s management
Meet Our Staff
SEPWA’s staff professionally manage the grower group’s day-to-day business, with an overall vision of increasing the profitability and sustainability of the grains industry in the Esperance Port Zone.

Michelle Handley
Chief Executive Officer
eo@sepwa.org.au
0447 908 311
Michelle was born in Esperance and spent many hours by her Dad’s side on her parent’s farm at Grass Patch. After completing her schooling at a local primary and high school she moved to Perth where she completed her Bachelor, Honours
and Masters degrees at Curtin University.
Michelle then worked in sustainable resource management for 10 years during which she developed a broad background in managing projects, policy development, community consultation and scientific writing. After meeting her now husband
Greg Warren (a local agronomist) at a local Esperance pub just as she was starting her Master’s degree, Michelle moved back to Esperance in 2005.

David Cook
R&D Coordinator
david@sepwa.org.au
0492 232 440
David developed a love of the land during childhood days spent on his grandparent’s beef property in central Queensland, This early introduction to agriculture led him to the University of Queensland where he studied a Bachelor of Science in Rural Technology. Fresh out of uni David worked as a Dryland Salinity Officer in Victoria before joining Warakirri Cropping on a property in southern Queensland in 2006. He moved to Esperance with Warakirri in 2013, joining the team at their Condignup property, Lobethal. After a brief time in the mid-west during 2021/2, David and his partner Kate made the move back to Esperance in late 2022.

Bill Sharp
Trials Coordinator
multiseed@westnet.com.au
0447 908 311
Bill worked with the Department of Agriculture for 25 years in Newdegate and Merredin before moving to Esperance in 1998 to take up role with Esperance District Office as Senior Technical and Certification Officer. In 1997 Bill entered the commercial seed industry and in 2004 formed his own seed production company. Bill’s role will be as SEPWA Trials coordinator (Part Time) to liaise with breeding programs, seed companies and farmers in the Esperance Port Zone and to oversee the large-scale demonstration trials. These trials will include Wheat, Barley and Canola. Bill, unfortunately, also has the passion for the Fremantle Dockers.

Andrea Carmody
Project Officer
andrea@sepwa.org.au
0429 416 125
Andrea grew up on a mixed beef and cropping farm in Morawa that her parents are still operating. She attended Muresk and graduated with a Bachelor of Agribusiness (Equine Management) Hons. Following graduation, she moved to Cascade and worked part-time on farm and part-time as a contributing author for Hoofbeats magazine in the property management section. Andrea, her husband Tom and brother-in-law George then took over the farming operation, where she worked full-time in the farm office and on farm. Wanting some more challenges, Andrea began working for SEPWA as a Project Officer in 2018.
Our Platinum & Diamond Sponsors





