ABGC president Cameron MacKay says Mr Eccles is an established horticultural industry professional with broad experience in production and supply chains, as well as research and development, and promotions management.

“Jonathan is linked into the horticultural network and understands the workings of groups such as Horticulture Australia Limited and Plant Health Australia, in addition to having corporate governance and consultancy experience,” Mr MacKay said.

“We welcome Jonathan to the role and are confident that he will continue to lead the industry in the same professional manner as our departing CEO Tony Heidrich.

“The focused and strategic leadership provided by Tony during the past eight years has been integral to the ongoing strength and success of our $400 million industry spread across Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland.”

In recent years the ABGC has undertaken significant change including an organisational restructure and the introduction of a national levy, and overcome challenges such as the black Sigatoka leaf disease outbreak in Tully, the threat of Philippines imports and the devastation of Cyclone Larry.

“I have overseen some big shifts within the industry and am pleased to be able to hand over to an experienced professional who can take it to the next level,” Mr Heidrich said.

Mr Eccles said he is excited to be joining the banana industry at a time when the national levy means it is well-positioned to undertake research and development programs to identify and pursue future opportunities.

“Bananas are Australia’s number one fruit and as an avid consumer myself, I come to this role as a big believer in the product,” Mr Eccles said.

Mr Heidrich is stepping into a new position with Queensland Gas Company as it develops the Surat Basin coal seam gas deposit around Chinchilla and Dalby in south-east Queensland.