The Board of Dairysafe is delighted to announce the appointment of Mel Jackson as its new Chief Executive Officer. Melissa officially commenced in the role on 28 July 2025.
A highly accomplished senior operational leader, Mel brings more than two decades of experience spanning the dairy, seafood, bakery, beverage and ready-to-eat food sectors. Most recently, she was Site Leader at Bega Group’s Salisbury facility, where she led a team of 125 people processing more than 115 million litres of milk annually in a complex and fast-paced manufacturing environment.
Dairysafe Chair Roseanne Healy said the Board was pleased to welcome Mel to lead the organisation into its next chapter.
“Mel is a proven leader with deep expertise in quality assurance, compliance, and food safety. Her strategic mindset, operational capability and inclusive leadership style make her an ideal fit for Dairysafe,” Ms Healy said.
“We look forward to working with Mel to ensure South Australia continues to lead the way in producing safe, high-quality dairy products that consumers can trust.”
Mel’s impressive career has included technical and leadership roles at Bega Group, Clean Seas Seafood, San Remo Macaroni, and Maggie Beer Products, and she is an active member of the Dairy Industry Association of Australia. Her experience covers a wide range of production environments accredited under HACCP, GFSI (SQF/BRC/FSSC), ISO, export, Coles, ALDI, SEDEX, RSPO and other major compliance frameworks.
Mel said she was excited to join Dairysafe and to contribute to an industry she is passionate about.
“Food safety is the foundation of consumer trust. I’ve built my career around leading safe, high-performing teams in highly regulated environments, and I look forward to applying that experience to serve South Australia’s dairy sector,” Mel said.
“The dairy industry is vital to our state’s economy, regional communities and reputation. I’m honoured to be part of Dairysafe’s mission to protect that reputation and support continuous improvement across the supply chain.”
Mel is known for her emotionally intelligent leadership, strategic planning, stakeholder engagement and passion for building strong organisational cultures. As the Deputy Chair of Bega’s Gender Equity Network and a leader in diversity and inclusion, she has championed workplace change initiatives and developed leadership programs focused on emotional intelligence and team engagement.
“People and culture are critical in delivering food safety outcomes. I believe in empowering teams, building capability and leading through change with authenticity and clarity,” Mel said.
