Diana Hallam has resigned as Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) after two years in the role, with the Board appointing Deputy CEO Richard Hyett as acting chief executive, effective immediately, whilst a comprehensive search begins for her permanent successor. That is according to AFPA Deputy Chair Matt Crapp, who confirmed Hallam informed the Board of her decision to pursue new opportunities today.
Speaking on behalf of the AFPA Board, Crapp acknowledged Hallam’s two-year contribution and highlighted the organisation’s policy advocacy under her leadership, particularly on the role of forest products in decarbonising the Australian economy. “We wish Di the best in her future endeavours,” Crapp said, with the Board moving immediately to interim leadership arrangements.
In a statement issued today, Hallam said her tenure had been a privilege and reflected on the position the organisation now occupies for the next phase of forest industry advocacy in Canberra. “I am proud of what we have achieved,” Hallam said, with her departure closing a chapter that began on 12 March 2024.
Hallam was appointed by then-Chair Stephen Dadd in early 2024, joining AFPA from her role as First Assistant Secretary in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. She had previously served as Chief of Staff to then-Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce from 2014 to 2017, with prior senior roles at Toll Group and Singapore Airlines.
Her two-year tenure spanned the 2025 federal election cycle, AFPA’s election platform advocacy and the industry’s response to the Albanese Government’s 62 to 70 per cent 2035 emissions reduction target. It comes as Wood Central reported on the peak body’s submissions to EPBC Act reform and its response to United States tariff measures over the past 12 months.
As acting CEO, Hyett carries an active policy agenda forward whilst the Board’s recruitment process unfolds, having served as Deputy CEO with public-facing leadership on plantation expansion, multiple-use public forests and timber security for the country’s housing supply. AFPA represents Australia’s $24 billion forest products supply chain, which directly employs 80,000 Australians and supports a further 100,000 indirectly.
