Meet the team

With their agricultural backgrounds and specialised research skills, Ag Econ’s economists are accomplished at tailoring messages to any audience. Supported by a team of specialists, outputs are of the highest quality.

Jon Welsh | Principal Climate Analyst & Economist
Jon’s specialised skills include evaluating investment risk and farm technologies as well as analysing and communicating the cyclical nature of key climate influences affecting Australian agriculture. Jon has 25 years of hands-on livestock and grain production experience and is also an alumnus of the Rabobank Executive Development Program. Jon has proven to be a versatile agricultural consultant, undertaking commercial board advisory on large-scale agricultural developments and infrastructure, government policy recommendations, ASX resource sector sustainability strategic planning, expert witness analysis, leading complex grant funding submissions, as well as performing core economic and sustainability research tasks. Jon has authored many high-impact economic and climate-related journal publications and is recognised in the Deans Honours list for academic excellence at the University of Melbourne. B.Ag.Ec.(UNE), M.Agrib (UoM). Exec. Man. (MGSM). He enjoys playing most sports and is active in community events, fundraising, and coaching junior rugby and athletics. Jon also has a keen interest in their family’s livestock business in northern NSW.

George Revell | Principal Economist
George has a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics, a Master of Business, and a proven track record of detailed and objective economic analysis in the agricultural sector. George specialises in investment impact assessments to support improved investment decision making, including in both an ex-ante and ex-post setting. Most recently for Hort Innovation and the Australian Meat Processors Corporation, George has applied a range of analytical techniques to evaluate economic, environmental and social impacts across hundreds of investments in agritech and productivity, biosecurity, genetics and breeding, leadership and training, market development, and marketing. George has a detailed understanding of the Council of Rural RDCs Impact Assessment Guidelines and Principles, and a strong focus on engaging widely with stakeholders to understand and communicate the drivers of investment success. Originally from a mixed cropping and grazing property in north-west NSW, George is currently based in Braidwood with his wife and children.

Adam Briggs | Principal Economist & Evaluation Specialist
Adam brings a unique blend of skills which bridge the disciplines of agricultural economics and evaluation. Before joining Ag Econ, Adam most recently led the Data and Insights team at Hort Innovation, where he implemented the company’s Evaluation Framework through the provision of investment expenditure analysis and performance reporting. Adam is especially passionate about building evaluation capacity to make evaluation concepts accessible to all stakeholder types. He brings a fresh perspective when program providers, audiences and their beneficiaries seek to answer questions such as ‘is it good?’, ‘was it worth it?’ and ‘what can we do now?’. 
Adam lives on the Central Coast of NSW with his growing family and enjoys all outdoor pursuits. Adam has a Bachelor of Agricultural Economics from the University of Sydney (Class 1 Honours and University Medal) and a Masters of Evaluation from the University of Melbourne.

Johanna Hansson | Associate Economist
Johanna is an experienced Economist with advanced analytical skills and the ability to distill complex information into key insights. She has worked with businesses and government agencies on commercial, policy and regulatory projects across multiple industries, including energy and agriculture. Her recent project experience includes conducting feasibility studies on production and use cases for green hydrogen and on renewable energy applications in an agricultural context; assessing the impacts on the electricity grid of large scale uptake of EVs; modelling potential revenue streams for large scale batteries and forecasting the price of electricity, gas and renewable energy certificates. Johanna has previously worked as a Commercial Advisor with Alinta Energy and as a Senior Economist with the Competition Economist Group (CEG). Johanna holds a Bachelor of Economics & Business Studies and a Master of Economics (UWA and Uppsala University), and is certified in Climate and Renewable Energy Finance. 

Brendan O’Keeffe I Associate Economist & Evaluator
Brendan has experience across many different agricultural domains, from working at Hort Innovation to the NSW Farmers Association. At NSW Farmers he led the association’s advocacy on competition issues, which included media appearances, submissions to Government, consultation with farmer members, and meetings with Ministers and other key stakeholders. This resulted in farmer’s voices being heard and supported by a robust evidence base in the cost-of-living policy debate. He is a persuasive writer, having won the John Ralph Essay competition on two occasions, and writes in his spare time for the adventure publication We Are Explorers. He is also halfway through learning all of Chopin’s Nocturnes on piano! Based in Melbourne, Brendan has a Bachelor of Resource Economics and a Graduate Diploma of Agriculture Economics.

Maria Solis I Associate Economist, Climate Analyst and Agricultural Scientist
Maria is highly experienced in agricultural extension, spatial modelling, and socio-economic and climate research. She is an advocate for data-driven solutions, leveraging open-source tools such as Linux, Python, and R for econometric modelling and spatial analysis. Her research and teaching contributions have been featured at leading national and international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals, covering topics such as remote sensing applications, policy development, and artificial intelligence in agriculture. Maria has a particular interest in Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) models, which she uses to address agricultural and climate challenges. These models support agriculture by simulating weather patterns, predicting evapotranspiration, and analysing the impacts of climate variability on crop systems. Maria holds a PhD in Agricultural Economics from The University of Western Australia, a Master’s degree in Environmental Earth Science from James Cook University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Farming Sciences from the Army University of Ecuador. Based in Far North Queensland, Maria balances her professional work with her love for music and ocean activities.