Professor Derek Baker
Professor of Agribusiness and Value Chains - Faculty of Science, Agriculture, Business and Law; UNE Business School
Biography
Derek Baker is Full Professor of Agribusiness and Value Chains at the University of New England in Australia, founding Director of the University’s Centre for Agribusiness, and helped establish the university’s business incubator which specialises in Agri-Tech startups.
He holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from the Pennsylvania State University, and a first degree in Farm Management and Animal Science from Massey University. Originally a farmer and agribusiness consultant in New Zealand in the late 1980s’ market reform period, Derek has since worked in over 40 countries at the interface of markets, policy and agribusiness. He spent 12 years in transition economies throughout Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, China, Southeast Asia and Africa working with FAO, The World Bank, IFAD, Danida, DFID, USAID, EU and UK assistance agencies, and philanthropies. He then worked in private sector consultancy in Copenhagen, Denmark, before joining the then KVL (now part of the University of Copenhagen) to lead food industry innovation projects.
In 2008 he joined the International Livestock Research Institute in the CGIAR, and was based in Nairobi, Kenya for 6 years, finishing as Program Manager for the Trade and Value Chains division.
Derek is active in supporting agribusiness careers, and in value chain education curriculum development. He is a Board Member of the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association and is a managing editor of several academic journals. His research work is in performance issues in the food supply chain, and the role of technologies in regional development and sustainability. Most recently his work has extended to digital transformation and its elusive value proposition at firm and industry level.
